The Chosen
by NKSCF
Summary: Two years after engaging the Lost Tribe of Sith, a newly-appointed Jedi Master has a vision of the Galaxy's end, and must gather a ragtag group of Jedi, traitors, and civilians to stop it before the Galaxy is corrupted by a Dark Jedi's grand designs.
1. Prologue: The Vision

A/N: Hello everyone. This is my third fan-fic, and will also be the longest I've done so far if things go right. This will be set after the end of the Lost Tribe of Sith, so more than likely there may be some issues with continuity, but as that hasn't been written yet, it's kind of hard for me to see that far in the future to keep everything as close to canon as possible. Please let me know if there is anything that I need to change or edit, especially when it revolves around continuity, because I am a major continuity hound and absolutely hate making mistakes when they can be avoided. Thanks in advance and I hope you enjoy.

_Following the end of the threat posed by Abeloth and the Lost Tribe of Sith, the Jedi Order and Galactic Federation of Free Alliances are on better terms. It is now forty-five years after the Battle of Yavin, and the Galaxy is at peace, but there are two factions who wish to end this path, seeking to spread darkness to their lifelong enemies instead. _

_There are reports of dark Force users not affiliated with any group known to the Order, upsetting the Jedi Council, who have sent Knights from all over the Order to locate this threat to no avail. Searches on such Sith-affiliated worlds as Korriban and Ziost have come up with no evidence of this threat, leaving the Masters to decide not to follow up on their feelings, despite the insistence of many members of the Order, who wish to make sure the Galaxy does not suffer from another prolonged war of destruction._

_A group of Sith has hidden themselves from them with the use of their superior masking abilities. This group wishes to wait until the proper time to strike, as the Jedi would slaughter them if they revealed themselves too soon. Instead they have sought help from rogue elements in the Galaxy who wish to increase their own powers._

_Jedi Master Ken Elegin is awaiting his chance to be considered one of the more premier members of the Order when he receives as vision of the destruction of the Jedi, leading him to seek out those that the very same vision directed him to locate in order to make sure the vision does not become reality. Even with the future constantly in motion, Ken cannot help but feel that his mission will lead to his own destruction, as well as the death of the Order itself. _

**Dramatis Personae: **

Tash Arranda- Jedi Knight; anthropologist (human female; Alderaan)

Zak Arranda- Jedi Knight; anthropologist (human male; Alderaan)

Tenel Ka Djo- Queen Mother; Jedi Knight (Hapan female; Dathomir)

Dordi- Jedi Knight (Barabel female; Barab I)

Durrei- Dark Jedi (human male; Elrood)

Ken Elegin- Jedi Master (human male; Kessel)

Garindan- outcast (Kubaz male; Kubindi)

Gumbrak Hoxz- crime lord (Mon Calamari male; Mon Calamari)

Vul Isen- scientist (Givin male; Korriban)

Ylairo Iteu- Dark Jedi (Zabrak male; Iridonia)

Sinsor Khal- scientist (Hapan male; Hapes)

Kunra- Extolled One (Yuuzhan Vong male; unknown worldship)

Palazidar- Sacredot (t'landa Til male; Varl)

Danni Quee- researcher; Jedi adept (human female; Commenor)

Malinza Thanas- pilot of the _Hindsight_ (human female; Bakura)

Three-Eye- pirate (Gran female; Kinyen)

Raynar Thul- Jedi apprentice (human male; Alderaan)

Shul Vaal- Jedi healer (Twi'lek male; Sleheyron)

Star Wing- outcast (Duinuogwuin male; unknown, possibly Elrood)

Maber Yeff- spacer (Makurth male; Moltok)

Tiu Zax- Jedi Knight (Omwati female; Omwat)

Ram Zerimar- Mandalorian bounty hunter; sniper (human male; Caluula)

Zomil- co-pilot of the _Hindsight _(Defel male; Af'El)

Prologue: The Vision

**Coruscant system, Coruscant, New Jedi Temple**

Jedi Master Ken Elegin focused on his meditation routine, one of many that Grand Master Luke Skywalker had taught him several years before when he'd only gone by the name that his protectors had offered him. Like many of the chambers in the New Jedi Temple, Ken's room was designed to specify toward his tastes, as evidenced by the painting that hung beside his bed, known throughout the Galaxy as the _Horrors of Kessel_. Famed artist and former prisoner of Kessel, Gayla Riemann, had developed the painting itself during her brief stay on the prison world, which she'd escaped from thanks to the help of Rebel agents. Ken held the dark painting in his room to remind himself of the places that he'd lived in and what they could do to the minds of even the purest of Jedi in the Order, as they had all learned when Jacen Solo had turned into the monster known as Darth Caedus not too long ago.

Ken had been born on the desolate planet of Kessel to his mother—known to him as the Jedi Princess Kendalina—and his father—the famed pacifist mutant derogatorily called Triclops by those who misused his talents. However, through means that he had been unaware of at the time, Ken had left Kessel behind as an infant to go to live in the mysterious and aging Lost City of the Jedi by a strange brown-robed Jedi Master who Ken never saw again.

Opening his eyes, Ken peered over to the other side of the room, where he viewed the remains of his old companion, HC-100, who—in a different life—had once been one of Ken's primary instructors in the City. Unfortunately HC-100 had lost its life in the Yuuzhan Vong attack on Yavin IV, despite the attempts of the other droids to keep the once savage invaders at bay. Luckily, though, the Yuuzhan Vong had never entered the Lost City, allowing its secrets to be kept safe. HC-100 was now stored behind some of the strongest transparisteel that Ken could afford on the meager salary that the Jedi Order was allotted by private donations and public funding. DJ-88—Ken's primary caretaker in the City—had presented the remains of HC-100 to Ken following his return to the former base of the Jedi at the end of the hard fought Yuuzhan Vong War. As was usual when he left his former protectors behind, Ken felt a tugging sadness, even though both the droids and he knew that he was needed in the Galaxy to protect the many citizens it harbored, which Ken had done ever since he had helped Grand Master Skywalker defeat the Fake Prophets of the Dark Side back when he'd only been twelve years old.

Now Ken was fifty-two years old, had graying black hair, and naturally gray eyes, was one of the longest-serving members of the New Jedi Order, and one of its newest Masters as well. It had taken Ken years to discipline himself enough to be offered the chance to become a Master, owing mostly to his need to find what he was meant to do as a Jedi, which had caused him to leave the Order many times before, an act that annoyed most of the senior Council members, including Grand Master Skywalker, who'd always expected much of Ken. Over his many absences from his duties as a Knight, Ken had studied anthropology at the Chandrilan Academy of Sciences, worked as a commander in the New Republic fleet during the Yuuzhan Vong War, spent time unearthing antiquities in areas as far from each other as Rafa IV and Ilum, and come back to the Order each time that he'd received a "revelation" as to his place in the Galaxy.

However, with each "revelation" that Ken had found in his journeys, a new doubt would arrive soon afterward, destroying the "revelation's" credibility.

Ken was grateful to the Council members to allow him the chance to come back into the Order each time that he felt compelled to come back to them, and was glad that most of them didn't harbor any grudges against him. There was still some animosity that Ken felt between such members as battlemaster Kyle Katarn—who was less than pleased with Ken's inability to stay focused on the tasks handed to him—and the mighty Barabel Saba Sebatyne—who, like Katarn, wished that Ken would hurry up and figure out what he wanted to do with his life.

Chiding himself for focusing on the negatives in his life, Ken shook his head and returned to his meditation, which he tried to perform at least once a day if the situation allowed for it. The Jedi Order itself was very much in a state where serenity needed to be at the foremost of any member of the Order's mind, especially after the fallout brought on them by the Lost Tribe of Sith and the recent troubles with the former Imperial Admiral Natasi Daala. Ken had managed to avoid the majority of the campaigns fought in the war, not by choice, but by chance, as the Order had sent him on a mission to the Senex and Juvex sectors to begin an investigation into their slave trading practices, which had been proven true, and something that Ken had stopped, but not before learning of his own origins.

His mother, Kendalina, had apparently been taken from her native home of the Senex-based Asmeru by its Jedi Watchman, the Ugor Jedi Master Dajjun, against the wishes of the House Elegin, which had tried to sue the Old Republic for her release of what they viewed as kidnapping. However, the House had agreed to give the young girl to the Jedi, yet planned on making it seem like they had never wanted to do anything like that in the first place, hoping to ridicule and gain funds from the Jedi at the same time. Unfortunately for them, the Jedi had become involved against the Nebula Front, a known terrorist organization that was responsible for attacking a Trade Federation ship, and were promptly punished by the Republic for associating with terrorists and the suit was taken out of court.

During his time there, Ken had learned that his mother was often called a princess by members of the House, as they viewed themselves as royalty, which had led her to think that she was indeed a princess, hence why she had been addressed as such to him by his caretakers, who didn't know any better. The fact that he belonged to such a despicable family of petty lords who cared nothing about others had wounded Ken at first, but in that time he'd come to terms with it and had also added his true surname to his own, which had been bothering him ever since he'd been a child.

Pushing aside his distracting thoughts, Ken dwelled on the Force, and washed his mind away to allow it the chance to show him what he needed to know, if such a thing were necessary at this point in time. Many Jedi had problems with losing themselves in an effort to reach oneness with the Force, as had Ken many years ago, but now he found it far easier to do, so much that sometimes he would enter trances that would cause him to lose focus on where he was and how much time had passed.

But this time there was something different about his meditation, something that sent his danger sense on fire. Before he could react, Ken began to experience a series of visions, each one more terrifying than the next.

Coruscant was under attack once more, but not by any foe that he had seen before. Unlike the attacks brought on by the Empire under Admiral Thrawn or the devastation brought by the Yuuzhan Vong under Tsavong Lah, this assault wasn't fought between starfighters or destroyers, but by a creature birthed from the bowels of the darkest parts of the Force. The creature was massive in size, looking like a mix between the millitile that lived on Kothlis and the kell dragon of Ruusan. A group of Jedi Knights were attempting to fight it off, but the moment that they came next to it they were corrupted by the dark energies that the creature expelled from its body and forced to fight each other in a duel to the death. Ken tried to force himself out of the vision, as his body began to feel the beginnings of chest pains, but he was unable to do so.

_No…_ a voice called out in the confusion. _Stay. Learn…_

Looking up to find the source, Ken discovered that the scene had changed, and now a group of Dark Jedi were assembled on another planet, one of them human and the other a Zabrak, as they talked of how the creature would rip the very fabric of the galaxy apart to destroy anyone who was not worthy enough to live on to the new age that they would make their own.

As he tried to figure out who they were, the vision shifted to yet another world, this time one that he was vaguely familiar with due to his travels with the Chandrilan Academy of Sciences: Lehon, where he saw a woman and a man working on a dig site. But as he tried to look closer at them, he saw an explosion and felt their deaths in the Force, causing him to shiver uncontrollably, right as he recognized the humans as Zak and Tash Arranda. But before he could act, the view changed yet again.

On the once thought mythical planet of Zonama Sekot, a female human and a Yuuzhan Vong warrior were talking to the planet's consciousness on where they needed to be. Once more Ken was forced away from identifying the people in time as the vision went to its next source.

Jedi Knights, slaves, and other individuals were facing off against what appeared to be a t'landa Til, who was trying to kill them for some infraction committed against him that had cost him a lot of credits. The survivors were gathered to leave for some unknown world where the Dark Jedi had assembled their forces in order to bring the creature to life once more, as it had been purposely placed into hibernation so that its powers could be kept in check.

His eyes weary from the continued changes in the visions and the locations of where they were, Ken closed his eyes for a moment, only to find that the light provided by the vision had left and, when he opened his eyes once more, he discovered that he was alone in a dark and murky expanse of space that was occupied by a gigantic figure that looked like it was completely encased in white.

The figure spoke in a voice that was almost serpentine in nature: "_Ken Elegin of the Jedi, I have need of you. The Galaxy has need of you. Find the ones that I have shown to you and lead them to greatness, for if you should fail, then the Galaxy shall lie in ruin for the remainder of its days. May the Force be with you._"

Before he could question the figure, Ken was taken away from his vision and pulled back into his chambers, where he barely registered the fact that he was in control of his mind once more. Looking around, Ken found a datapad, and typed in from his memory the coordinates of Lehon, which he knew he could find without trouble thanks to his experiences there.

Other Jedi would have taken some time to consult with other Masters on what the vision had meant and if it could be interpreted differently, but Ken had seen too many of them and been near too many Jedi who had seen them to know that he needed to follow his instincts when it came to the vision. For now his instincts said that he had to go out and reach Lehon, where he would find Zak and Tash Arranda. What he would do after that he didn't know, but he trusted the Force to lead him to his goal without too much trouble headed his way.

Some Jedi would find his impetuousness abominable, but Ken didn't care what they thought of him anymore. All that he knew was that he had seen the Galaxy wiped out, and that he was needed to gather the forces necessary to defeat it. Grabbing a pack of supplies and the ignition key to his StealthX, Ken left his room, ready to begin his quest to make sure his vision never came to pass.

A/N: Thank you for reading through this. I don't know when the next chapter will come, but it should be a relatively short amount of time due to how small it will be. Until next time.


	2. Part I: The Search: Chapter 1

A/N: I need to apologize in advance for anyone that has sent me a review or PM. My account was messed with by a hacker and caused me to temporarily lose my ability to check the traffic pages and for reviews. If you sent a review, I'm sorry that I wasn't able to respond to you and hope that this won't happen again. Now to the story. Please let me know if there is anything that I need to change or edit here. Thanks in advance.

Part I: The Search: Chapter 1

Coruscant system, Coruscant, New Jedi Temple

Ken Elegin walked through the corridors of the Jedi Temple, moving past a group of new inductees to the Order that had recently been found on Renor in the Inner Rim. Leading them was Jedi Master Wonetun, a male Brubb that had been a member of Saba Sebatyne's starfighter squadron the Wild Knights during the later years of the Yuuzhan Vong War. Ken and Wonetun exchanged amiable glances, but did nothing else to show that they had seen each other. Like his former master, Wonetun did not have a high opinion of Ken, and preferred to stay as far away from him as possible.

Continuing on his way to the hangar bay of the Temple, Ken dwelled on his vision and wondered if he was being foolish to not go to one of the other Masters for their help. If he could convince enough of them to help him out, then he could have an even larger force to seek out the threat that he had foreseen, which could substantially lessen whatever threat it posed to them. However, he knew that the other Masters would not allow such a thing to happen, especially at this time, due to their recent losses during the conflict with Abeloth, the crazed Chief of State Natasi Daala, and the Lost Tribe of Sith from Kesh. To further his disappointment in seeking out their help, Ken was reminded that other, more valid seers in the Order had also had visions that were similar to his, and the Jedi had sent many trustworthy members to worlds associated with the Sith to see if there were traces of any such threat. However, no such evidence had been found at any of the planets visited, leading the Council members to end the search so that they could keep their resources as close to the Temple as possible.

Sighing, Ken continued down the path to the hangar bay, where he passed by Vekki, a former Jedi Initiate that had barely survived the attack on the Temple of Ossus by the Galactic Alliance Guard during the darkest period of the Second Galactic Civil War. She was a Talid, a species that had developed on the planet of Ando Prime, which had been claimed by the Aqualish several years before the inception of the Galactic Empire, and was uncharacteristically short for her species. Following her escape from Ossus thanks to the intervention of Jaina Solo, Jagged Fel, and Zekk, she had entered the Temple on Coruscant and studied under Doran Sarkin-Tainer, who had recently become the operator of the Temple's logistics division. Ken had met her some time before her initiation into the Order, and had actually recommended her to be a member of the Order, where she had excelled tremendously. As such, the two had developed a meaningful friendship, and she was prone to allow him access to places he wasn't supposed to be around in the Temple without authorization, as he was doing now.

Normally Jedi—regardless of their rank in the Order—were required to leave behind their intended flight path and how long they would be gone, which wouldn't hinder Ken in the least, but now, due to recent events, all Jedi also had to be accompanied by another member of the Order, so that the Order could know exactly what they were doing in their time away from the Temple. The more that Ken thought of his vision, the more he began to think that his earlier idea to tell about it to the Council felt wrong. It would be necessary for him to maintain secrecy, just in case the Dark Jedi that he had seen in his vision would remain unaware of his attempts to find the people that would stop their plans from ever coming into being. This also meant that he was placing Vekki into trouble, as the Order would find out about his unauthorized access of the ships in the Temple and more than likely temporarily suspend her for her actions.

Walking up to Vekki—who had just finished a conversation with Derek, a male human that had just recently been Knighted—Ken sighed and said, "Vekki, I need to leave now. I can't say why and I need you to keep this quiet."

Looking at him for a moment with her hazel eyes, Vekki said, "I understand, Master Elegin. May the Force be with you."

"I'm sorry for placing you in this position, Vekki," Ken said with a grimace. "I don't want to cause you to be suspended from duty."

"Then I suppose you should leave her alone and remain here on Coruscant," said a distinctly masculine voice that sent shivers down Ken's spine.

Turning around, Ken saw Jedi Master and battlemaster of the Order, Kyle Katarn looking right back at him. The tall bearded man was aging gracefully, as evidenced by the coloration of his hair, which still retained its normal brown hue, with only the smallest signs of gray appearing anywhere at all. A Bryar pistol hung by his left side, as a lightsaber—which, when activated, had a vaguely cyan sheen—did the same on his right, while the utility belt he wore displayed several of the Order's standard survival gear. Although Ken was tall as well, he was still much shorter than Kyle, who towered over him.

"Master Katarn," Ken said.

"Master Elegin," Kyle said, folding his arms. "Explain yourself now."

Ken sighed and said, "It is important that I leave now, Master. The fate of the Galaxy is at stake. There is a disturbance in the Force."

"Would this have anything to do with the recent investigations into the Sith worlds that came back with no evidence of any harm befalling the Order?"

"Yes, it would. I have reason to believe that I am needed to gather a group of individuals from across the Galaxy to face this same threat, if not something similar to it. I am prepared to suffer any penalty the Order wishes to impart on me, but I need to leave now. Time is of the essence."

"With all due respect, Ken, what makes your vision different from any of the others that have been had by better and more seasoned Jedi?"

Ken frowned. "Because I know exactly where I need to go and who will accompany me once I get there."

"And who would this person be?"

"_They_ would be Zak and Tash Arranda. I saw them clearly on Lehon, where I imagine that they are on an archeological dig right now. They are about to be attacked, and they need my help to save them."

Kyle snickered. "Them? They're supposed to fight off whatever you're so worried about? Ha, that's downright ridiculous. Neither of them are close to being fit to fight anything. Their skills are downright worthless in battle."

"Maybe that's not what they're needed for. Maybe they have to do something else that will revolve around their skills. Not all of us who sense the Force are suited for battle."

Kyle eyed Ken for a moment, mulling over several ideas as a Jedi strike force that had been sent to retrieve Jedi Knight Sothais Saar, a Chev male who had recently gone missing in the part of Hutt Space, where he had been meeting with an individual of the Nararal, a species that had just been located in the Outer Rim. Sothais was renowned throughout the Order as one of its most outspoken members, especially when it came to slavery, which the young Knight had been through himself. Deciding to forgo their argument for a moment, Kyle and Ken looked at Tresk Im'nel, a Bothan Jedi Master who had led the mission. Tresk noticed their gaze and allowed his ears to droop, letting them know that something had gone wrong.

"What happened?" Kyle asked. "Where is Saar?"

"Dead," Tresk said. "The contact he met on Diyu, on the Shag Pabol trade route, was sent to kill him, as he was about to engineer the freedom of several slaves under the control of the t'landa Til Sacredot Palazidar."

Ken let his head drop, as he wished the young Jedi's spirit rest as it made its way into the Netherworld of the Force.

"Go," Kyle said, almost causing Ken to jump in surprise.

"What?" Ken asked, as Vekki, Tresk, and he exchanged glances with each other.

"Leave now, gather those that you are led to, and get rid of the menace. I have had it with the death toll we've been dealt throughout the years."

Kyle grabbed Ken by the top portion of his Jedi robes and led him inside of the hangar, while he continued to speak. "What I am about to say stays between us, is that understood?"

Ken nodded.

"When the Masters sent out members of the Order to seek out the source of the visions that we had received, I volunteered to go to Dromund Kaas, as I had knowledge of it and wanted to see if I could help out. However, I was overruled by other Council members, who said that the Masters needed to stay on Coruscant in order to coordinate the search. In my place Rosh Penin, who was an old apprentice of mine, went to that wretched world. In his search, he was killed by a group of dart flowers that had concealed themselves with the Force and poisoned him. Without any aid, he died there alone, and I haven't forgiven myself for letting that happen. If you can get rid of this menace that you've seen, then get it done. I'll take the fall for you, Ken."

Ken looked at Kyle for a moment, barely registering the fact that he had just been given the chance to leave without incident. "Really, Master Katarn? You would let me go, even with our past history? I understand why you've had this change of heart, but this is far too easy."

"I know we haven't always agreed, Master Elegin, but I'm not an idiot. If you can stop this, than I won't stop you from trying. May the Force be with you, Ken."

"And with you, Kyle."

Leaving Ken alone in the hangar, Kyle went through the doors and sealed them behind him, as Ken entered his StealthX and left the hangar to find Zak and Tash Arranda, ready to save them from whatever it was that was hunting them down.

A/N: Next chapter will focus on Malinza Thanas, Zomil, Tiu Zax, and Shul Vaal as they transport the notorious pirate Three-Eye to a Galactic Alliance installation on Froz, and start their role in the story. I don't know when the next chapter will be released, but it should be relatively soon. Until next time...


	3. Chapter 2

A/N: Well, it would appear that whatever it is that's messing with my account (not a hacker as I was led to believe previously) is still distorting my traffic and the ability to send/receive PMs. I would like to thank the people who took the time to e-mail (which should be on my profile page if you would like to ask me something) to ask me why I haven't responded to their reviews, and I hope that this clears up asap. I have contacted the staff here to see if they can solve this problem, but I don't know how that will end up. Thank you all for your patience in this matter. Please let me know if there is anything I need to edit or change here. Thanks in advance.

Chapter 2

**Froz system, Froz orbit**

Malinza Thanas brought the _Hindsight _out of hyperspace and ordered her co-pilot—Zomil, a member of the Defel race—to take a scan of the system, ready to find the Jedi that would finally get rid of the prisoner they had captured some days ago.

Malinza stared out into the vastness of the empty space around them, seeing that her reflection was looking back at her. She had dark black hair that was neatly placed right on her shoulders, was average for a human height-wise, and had distinctive eyes, marked by the very different colors each had: Her left eye was green and the right eye was gray. Thirty-one years old now, Malinza had left her homeworld of Bakura to seek her place in the Galaxy following the day that she had allied with her adopted family to fight off a Ssi-ruuvi invasion that had almost claimed her life. Thanks to the tutelage of Jaina Solo, Malinza had decided that she needed to leave Bakura to discover what it was that she was meant to do in life. Normally Malinza would have followed the teachings of the Cosmic Balance, a religion that had been founded on Hemei IV that taught that the Galaxy worked on a system that specified that when good things happened to an individual, someone else would inevitably be plagued with horrible occurrences. Over the years she had found herself working to find and detain the scum of the Galaxy by working as a part-time bounty hunter. Unlike her adopted uncle Luke Skywalker, Malinza's connection to the Force was miniscule, and she was nothing more than a highly-advanced human who relied on her own natural abilities to help her out.

Turning to her right, Malinza looked at Zomil, who almost blended in with the darkness projected by the bleak space outside the _Hindsight_. Zomil was advanced in age for his species, and was beginning to show the signs that their native inability to be seen in regular light due to specialized color absorption was about to leave him, due to his time away from Af'El and the inevitability of his advanced age. Under ultraviolet light, Zomil had golden fur that was slowly fading into a grayer color, which was black under normal light, and was complemented by his red eyes that glowed with a fierceness that belied his gentle nature. Malinza had met Zomil when she had been on Bridin Anchorage in the Portmoak sector, where he had been working as one of the few beings attempting to restore order to the world following its dilapidation due to the rule of a con artist named Quarlo Bridin. Joining forces, they had successfully ousted Bridin of his role of leader of the planet, and left a friendlier ruler in his place, the sister of Purge survivor Corwin Shelvay, known as Elena to those she worked with. Once a member of the Imperial Security Bureau, Elena had been saved by her brother and moved to the Portmoak sector to redeem herself for the evils she had committed during her days as an Imperial, and had assisted Malinza and Zomil with freeing Bridin Anchorage, which was now named Corwin in honor of her brother.

Ever since then, Zomil and Malinza had been inseparable, especially as she had saved his life during the fight against Bridin, leading him to commit a life debt to her, even though his own species frowned upon such actions. Malinza had tried to get him to recall his debt to her, as she did not want him to feel that he had to remain with her for the rest of his life, but Zomil had told her that sought redemption for his past, and felt that the Force was guiding him to follow her in order to make amends for what he had done. Zomil never spoke much about his past, and never asked Malinza for her own in return, a sentiment she was happy to share.

Flipping a switch on her right, Malinza activated the _Hindsight's_ environmental factors, which caused the YT-1300's algae cylinders to turn on and send a wave of cool air throughout the cockpit. Wishing that they had the funding for an improved C-8 life support system that would cause the cooling to be automatic, Malinza frowned, but gently touched the operating system they had anyways, as she appreciated the ship for what it was worth. Despite being one of the older ships in the Galaxy, the _Hindsight_ was heavily modified, mostly due to the credits that Zomil and Malinza had earned during their expeditions, and from the generous donations that her adopted uncle had given them following their help during the Second Galactic Civil War for the help they had given to transport Jedi safely to Shedu Maad in a way that would prevent Darth Caedus from ever finding them. Malinza had purchased the ship on Bakura from the Ryn named Goure Conor, who had assisted the Bakurans and Galactic Alliance during the Ssi-ruuvi invasion by providing information to Tahiri Veila that helped to turn the tide of the battle.

A banging noise came from behind them and Malinza sighed. "When will she learn that she's trapped and can't escape?" she asked.

"Three-Eye is stupid being," Zomil said. "Much idiocy in her head."

Malinza smiled. "You have such a way with words, Zomil."

"Words mean much to everyone, so is better to use them in good way, no?"

"Oh, I agree with you, but I don't know if Three-Eye will."

Checking the monitor in front of her, Malinza watched Three-Eye pace in the force cage that they had sealed her in following the time that they had captured her on the normally stormy planet of Tertiary Kesmere, where the pirate had been performing genetic modifications on the native hornagaunts. This information had surprised Malinza when she had captured the notorious pirate, who didn't normally deal with scientific areas of the Galaxy, preferring instead to attack the planets that were still under the control of RePlanetHab, knowing that the fragile worlds were easy targets, especially since the Galactic Alliance's military was focused on more pressing woes than piracy. Using this information, Malinza discovered that Three-Eye's—as Galactic Alliance Intelligence and the Ryn Network had speculated—real name was Ogl'woxz, a Gran scientist that had been involved in the infamous Project Durge that had taken place on Dantooine, which had found a way to resurrect the famed bounty hunter Durge. Following an escape, Ogl'woxz had discovered that no respectable organization would employ her and slowly made the move to piracy, which she had excelled at. During the days of the Empire's eventual fragmentation, she had focused solely on hitting their worlds, as they were far easier to steal from in the confusion that had followed the Battle of Endor. However, in more recent years, she had targeted worlds that belonged to what had been the New Republic and the Galactic Federation of Free Alliances, using their constant inability to patrol their own sectors to her advantage and taking what she had wanted. Although she had little morals, Three-Eye had thought of herself as a patriot during the Yuuzhan Vong War, and had actually fought against the Peace Brigade, destroying several of their ships at the Maltorian mining belt, which she eventually used as her base of operations following the war and the onset of the Swarm War.

Now the famed pirate was being held inside of the _Hindsight_, waiting to be transferred to a new prison facility on Froz that had recently been dubbed the Hedda Memorial Detainment Center, named after a young Frozian Jedi Knight that had died on Ossus thanks to the efforts of Salle Serpa. Hedda was fondly remembered by the Frozians as the leader of the resistance to retake Froz during the Yuuzhan Vong War, even though she was only a young padawan at the time. The Detainment Center now held many of the most dangerous criminals that the Jedi and the Galactic Alliance was able to capture.

"Jedi taking too long," Zomil noted.

"You know how stringent they are now," Malinza said. "Due to recent events."

Zomil nodded. "Still could come here on time, no?"

"Jedi are never late, Zomil…they're just never on time either."

"Makes no sense. Jedi are—"

Zomil was interrupted by a voice that came over their com channel. "This is Jedi Knight Shul Vaal confirming the detainment of Three-Eye by utilizing the agreed upon code of THX-1138," the hologram on the left side of Malinza's body said. "Please respond."

Malinza flicked the hologram switch so that she would appear on their ship that appeared to be the _Lightning Rod_, an old freighter that had once belonged to the Jedi Knight Zekk. Now it seemed that it was owned exclusively by the Jedi Order.

Shul Vaal's hologram stared at Malinza for a moment, as she looked back at him. Shul was a middle-aged blue-skinned Twi'lek male who hailed from Sleheyron, where he had been forced from an early age into slavery by Ingoda the Hutt, who had stolen him from his parents. From there, Shul had been sent to Ylesia, where he had lived until 28 ABY, when a contingent of New Republic soldiers and Jedi had successfully raided the planet and freed some of its slaves, which included him. During the trip to Dac, Shul had been found as Force-sensitive by the Wookiee Jedi known as Lowbacca, and subsequently trained by other members of the Order.

Beside Shul in the hologram was the Omwati Jedi Knight Tiu Zax, a member of the Jedi who had participated mainly in intelligence gathering, thanks to her unique connection to the Force, which allowed her to conceal herself from others without being discovered easily. Tiu had pale white hair that spiked up in certain areas, as well as dark blue eyes that augmented her skin color. Malinza knew of them from her time on Shedu Maad, where she had shipped them to the safe world and learned that they were romantically involved with each other, despite Tiu being almost a decade younger than Shul.

"This is Malinza Thanas sending the code of Kettch is not the pilot, but Kolot is."

"Code acknowledged, Captain Thanas," Shul said. "Prepare to dock."

"Affirmative."

Malinza turned to Zomil, who had already begun the docking procedures, saying, "It is good we get rid of Three-Eye now. She is awful being."

"The moment she's off of here, the better, partner," Malinza said, standing up. "Do you have the stun cuffs ready for her?"

"SC-401 stun cuffs is here. Strong enough for Wookiee, then strong enough for Gran. Up to highest setting, no?"

"Works for me."

Leading him away from the cockpit, Malinza felt the _Hindsight _and the _Lightning Rod_ dock with each other, as she opened the door to the room where Three-Eye's force cage was. The pirate merely stared at them for a moment before she huffed and crossed her arms.

"It took you long enough," Three-Eye said. "I was beginning to think I'd be here in this cell forever. I would rather have better accommodations."

"Well you're getting your wish, Ogl'woxz," Malinza said. "It's time for you to head into the nice Detention Center on Froz. I hear they let the thud bugs roam free to make sure that no one ever gets too far from the Center should they escape. That should be fun to hear about."

"Oh, I have no intention of ever setting foot in that Center. And the name is Three-Eye. I do not know this Ogl'woxz of yours."

"Yeah, yeah, whatever. Zomil, cuff her."

Deactivating the force cage, Malinza then held out her modified Crusader M-XIV rifle to make sure that Three-Eye didn't try anything foolish. Three-Eye stared at Malinza with malice in her face, but not enough to warrant any suspicion on Malinza's part.

"Alright, let's take her to the Jedi, get out reward, and head over to Onadax for that tip we got on what's his name, Durrei?" Malinza asked.

"Is Durrei," Zomil said, as he pushed Three-Eye toward the docking hatch, which opened up to reveal Shul Vaal, Tiu Zax, and a group of Galactic Alliance guards.

The Jedi bowed at them and Malinza returned the favor. "Greetings, Shul Vaal and Tiu Zax," she said. "It's been too long since we've seen each other."

"And for you two as well," Shul said, smiling. "Although it could be under better times, I think."

"Ogl'woxz of Kinyen, you have been arrested due to escaping a Galactic Alliance prison following the end of the Second Galactic Civil War after previously being arrested by the Jedi for participating in illegal pirating of Galactic Alliance worlds," Tiu said, stepping forward to take Three-Eye from Zomil. "I will now take you to your holding cell on Froz where you will spend the rest of your natural life for your crimes."

Three-Eye glared at her, just as one of the guards' comlink activated, saying, "A ship just exited hyperspace! No—Make that four ships!"

Before any of them could react, the _Hindsight _began to shake as a barrage of turbolaser fire hit them, causing the less stable beings in the room to fall to the ground. Malinza grabbed a pole just in time to remain standing, as she found that none of the guards were moving in the same way as the others were. Looking closely as she examined them, she found that they were wearing magnetic tractor boots, which kept them perfectly in place as they were attacked.

The same voice from the comlink cried out his discoveries, while the Jedi tried to stand back up, but were thwarted by a sudden explosion of one of the minor systems on the _Hindsight_, "It's a bunch of _Kaloth_-class battlecruisers! It's the Thalassian slavers and the Cavrilhu Pirates! They must be allied with Three—Argh!"

The voice was drowned out by the sound of blasters firing off, letting Malinza know that the young man had just been killed. Looking up once more, she found Three-Eye being taken away by the guards back into the other ship, and it appeared that they would get away freely. Pulling up her rifle, Malinza tried to send off a shot, but another wave of turbolaser fire caused her to lose her grip and drop the gun. However, just as she realized her mistake, Shul Vaal had recovered and leapt over to the guards, decapitating one with a wave of his turquoise blade. Just as Shul brought back his blade once more, one of the guards—a male Jenet—grabbed him by the lekku and caused the Jedi to scream out in pain, due to the Twi'leks sensitivity to having their lekku touched fiercely. Unable to get up to help him, Malinza tried to have Zomil assist the Jedi, but he was barely holding on to another pole, while Tiu Zax was feebly attempting to reach him with her mind. Shul fell to the floor in agony, as a stun blast knocked him out completely.

Before their foes could regain their senses, the guards locked the docking bay door right behind them, and Malinza heard the other ship begin to move away from them. Suddenly, the turbolaser fire stopped, and the _Hindsight _was mercifully free from danger. Running over to the cockpit the moment that gravity was restored, Malinza watched as a fleet of _Kaloth_-class ships fled the Froz system, and left them behind. Jamming her hand down on the control board, she felt a wave of fury overtake her mind. She barely noticed Zomil dragging the unconscious form of Tiu into the cockpit and punched the wall.

"Kriff it all to nine Corellian hells!" Malinza yelled. "What the frak just happened here?"

"Jedi must not look into crew records when they leave Coruscant," Zomil said. "Jedi make mistake and now Three-Eye is free. Worse, there is Jedi taken by Three-Eye. Three-Eye is hater of Jedi. Not good."

"I can kriffing see that, Zomil! Now what do we do about it?"

"Track ships. Contact Jedi. Say we need help, but they not give it. Too few Jedi to help out anymore. We do it alone."

"You're not inspiring much confidence in me now, Zomil."

"Malinza is tired and mad. Only natural to be angry. Track ion trails of ships and Zomil take this one to infirmary. Is good to clean her wounds, no?"

Malinza nodded and saw the gashes that appeared all over Tiu's body, the direct result of it banging against the metallic sides of her ship.

"Do damage report so Zomil can fix later, no?" Zomil asked, as he carried Tiu away.

Malinza sighed, as she tried to calm herself. None of what had just happened was good. Not only had Three-Eye gotten away, but she was now allied with the Thalassian slavers and the Cavrilhu Pirates, and had also taken a Jedi Knight with them. She could call for aid from the Jedi and the Alliance, but she wouldn't get it. No one could possibly aid her now.

_Trust in yourself and know that you can make the impossible, possible,_ the voice of Luke Skywalker said in her mind.

Flinching when she heard it, Malinza wondered if her adopted uncle was actually talking to her, but remembered that he was nowhere near her now, and that it was an old phrase of his that he had always used to comfort her as a child. It had always helped to hear him say such kind words to her, especially after losing her mother and father at an early age.

"Alright, Uncle Luke, I'll do it," Malinza said, as she began to track the ion signatures of the fleeing craft. "I'm going to make the impossible, possible…I hope."

The computer located the destination of the ships and locked in the coordinates, allowing Malinza to begin the jump to hyperspace, as she began to wonder if even the tiny pep talk that she had just given herself would be enough to help them when they finally met up with Three-Eye and her forces.

A/N: Okay, the next chapter will focus on Danni Quee and Kunra as they begin to experience their role in future events. The next chapter should be up by maybe Friday at the earliest. Until next time...


	4. Chapter 3

A/N: Well, it looks like my reviews have finally been cleared up, as I received two for _Life Is Worth Living_ and one for _Breaking the Deal_, yesterday and today, respectively. My traffic still seems to be messed up, though, but at least I know that people are finally able to contact me again. Please let me know if there is anything that I need to revise or change. Thanks in advance and please enjoy.

Chapter 3

**Gunninga Gap, Zonama Sekot**

Located deep within the Unknown Regions was a sector of space that was considered to be almost totally unreachable, due to the high concentrations of hyperspace anomalies that would sporadically appear and force ships to choose other regions of space to explore. These anomalies were prone to randomness, and whenever ships gained access to the Gunninga Gap by one means of hyperspace, they would find that the route was lost to them only hours after finding it. Few of the Galaxy's denizens could have said that they had ventured to this desolate region of space, as only those attuned to the Force had the capabilities of discovering where the anomalies began and where they ended. Cronal—better known to his Imperial subordinates as Shadowspawn, the former Prophet of the Dark Side and warlord that had almost killed Luke Skywalker during his occupation of the planet Mindor—had counted himself among the few able to reach the worlds of the Gunninga Gap, and had even located scraps of the fabled Taurannik Codex, which had been thought lost during the Muurshantre Extinction over a hundred thousand years ago.

However, following Cronal's departure, no other sentient life ever gained access to the worlds of the Gunninga Gap, and it had remained alone in the Galaxy, waiting a time where a new group of sentient beings would come into it for whatever purposes they had in mind. In the years of the Swarm War, the Gunninga Gap had found new occupants, members of which had been fleeing the ar'krai of the Bothan species that had almost found them several times before.

Unknown to all denizens of the Galaxy save for a select group of Jedi Knights that had spearheaded the exodus under the leadership of Luke Skywalker, Zonama Sekot had fled into the Unknown Regions and found a new home in the Gunninga Gap, one of many such locations that had been provided by the Empire of the Hand and sympathetic Chiss astrographers. The once though mythic sentient world Zonama Sekot had seen its share of war recently, and had almost been destroyed by agents of the Bothan political group the True Victory Party, led by Reh'mwa until his death at the hands of Lumiya and Jacen Solo before the Second Galactic Civil War. Unwilling to fight once more and cause unnecessary casualties, Sekot, the living intelligence of the world, had agreed to hide once more in sectors of the Unknown Regions that would prove to be difficult for other beings to locate them in. Thanks to its strong presence in the Force, Sekot had located the proper hyperspace coordinates to enter the Gunninga Gap by maneuvering the hyperspace routes to its designs, and shifting them when necessary if it felt the coming of ships that were not allied with itself and the Jedi.

Orbiting around the white-blue star of the system which had been recently named after the now extinct race of the Muurshantre, Zonama Sekot was alone in the Galaxy, only having the members of the Yuuzhan Vong, Ferroans, the Langhesi, and members of the Jedi Order that were stationed there to help Sekot in its endeavors to keep the denizens of the planet in peace. While it had widely diverse beings on its surface, Sekot knew that all of them were now slowly forming a singular party of beings that shared one goal: To serve each other and protect their world at all costs.

Among the beings who dwelled on the surface of the living planet was Danni Quee, one of the few beings that Sekot considered a friend, and one who had done her best to make sure that the planet remained safe from those that would use it for their own purposes. One of the more intelligent beings in the Galaxy, Danni had been an astrophysicist before the invasion of the Yuuzhan Vong, who had found the a path into the known Galaxy through a section of space that they had called Vector Prime, and had barely survived the first assault.

An attractive woman now aged to forty-one years, Danni had long, flowing blonde hair that fell below her shoulders, was relatively small for a human, and had green eyes. Born on the rich planet Commenor—the former colony world of Humbarine—Danni had been noticed as a prodigy by her peers and graduated early at the age of fifteen, eventually deciding to leave the Core Worlds behind for the emptier Outer Rim for scientific research. During her experiences in the Yuuzhan Vong War, Danni had shared a mutual attraction with Jacen Solo, but the two had both decided not to pursue it in favor of studying Zonama Sekot and leaving to discover the vast knowledge of the Force, respectively. Like many, Danni had been heartbroken to learn that he had fallen to the dark side and committed atrocious acts of murder and manipulation, and had barely been able to come to terms with it, even after the tutelage of Sekot, which shared its own feelings of having been betrayed by someone it had seen as an equal. The loss had been difficult to get through, but during this time, Danni had found someone to help comfort her, as he had also found someone he had looked up to at one point and had turned out to be using him for his own gain.

Next to Danni Quee was the former Shamed, and now Extolled One, named Kunra, who was once a member of the warrior class in Yuuzhan Vong society before his Domain—Esh—had become Shamed following a disastrous outing that had been botched by the then Executor Nom Anor. With his fellow member of Domain Esh joining him—Niiriit—Kunra had fled from his fellow Yuuzhan Vong, and started a splinter group of free Shamed Ones who had started on the practice to worship the Jedi, known as the _Jeedai_ heresy to their former peers. Following their departure from their higher caste levels, Kunra had stopped placing the ritualistic tattoos that all Yuuzhan Vong warriors were required to put on their bodies, leading to him looking as if he was an outcast among the outcasts due to his refusal to look like a normal Yuuzhan Vong, and had also stopped using Esh as his surname, due to his refusal to remember the past. Eventually he had started to develop feelings for Niiriit, which had come to a halt once Nom Anor—now a hated member of Yuuzhan Vong society for his bungling of the Battle of Ebaq 9—joined their group. The now hunted Executor helped their group for a time, eventually earning Niiriit's very highly placed respect, which had gone away following Niiriit's death at the hands of a group of warriors who had been tasked with killing members of the heresy. Now alone, Kunra and Nom Anor had joined forces, eventually leading to Nom becoming the leader of the _Jeedai_ heresy as he portrayed the figure of the Prophet Yu'shaa, which culminated with his death following the invasion of Yuuzhan'tar. During his time with Nom Anor, Kunra had been his bodyguard, a fact that he resented later in his life.

Forty-six years old, Kunra had small black hair that was tied in a ceremonial braid, gray skin and eyes, and stood a head above Danni. Following the successful battle on Yuuzhan'tar that had given the Yuuzhan Vong the right to live on Zonama Sekot in peace for the first time in many years, Kunra had led his fellow Shamed Ones into regaining their honor by spreading the word that they would be known as Extolled Ones, something that had caused minor strife in the Yuuzhan Vong, due to their long held beliefs on caste systems. Thanks to Sekot, Danni, and the Jedi-who-was-shaped—better known as Tahiri Veila—the Yuuzhan Vong eventually came to terms with the changes brought to their culture. In this time, Kunra first met Danni and had been enamored with her headstrong attitude, even in an element that she knew almost nothing about. Although the two had been amiable enough in those days, neither had pursued a relationship, as Danni had been trying to find herself and what the Force meant for her to do with her life. In the days of the Swarm War, Danni had eventually come to the decision that she was meant to remain on Zonama Sekot and help the Yuuzhan Vong find their way back into the Force, and had also begun a relationship with Kunra, which had eventually led to marriage right after Jacen Solo's turn to the dark side, which had affected them dearly. Although some looked down on their union, many Yuuzhan Vong had done similar things, and many had tried to court Tahiri, but the vast majority of them had looked to her only as the One-who-was-shaped, rather than any true look for completeness. As Kunra did not have a surname anymore, he was unofficially known as Kunra Quee by other members of their society, but he did not care what they called him, as he preferred to focus on making sure his people did not revert to their murderous ways.

"Kunra, Sekot is approaching us," Danni said, as they finished staring at the great sun that Zonama Sekot orbited around and had been named after the sun god Yun-Lingni, who had just recently been reborn in the Yuuzhan Vong's religion.

Kunra nodded. Not being connected to the Force caused him to be unable to sense when the great Sekot would show up, but lately he had been experiencing minor flashes of what Danni had called sensitivity to the Force, which he had assumed was due to being located closely to the consciousness of Zonama Sekot.

In the distance a human-like figure walked towards them, passing by families of Yuuzhan Vong shapers that were working on adapting certain animals to be able to reproduce more and then provide a larger supply of food for the Yuuzhan Vong, Langhesi, and Ferroans. The figure resonated deeply in the Force, letting Danni know that he was Sekot in a form that he used to speak with those he had need of. The closer that Sekot came to them, the more Danni realized just which form he had chosen to appear in so that he could speak with them. In the past, Sekot had appeared to Luke Skywalker as his father, Anakin, and to Jacen Solo as Vergere, the Fosh enigma that had been falsely used by Lumiya in a means to turn Jacen to the dark side. Today, it seemed that Sekot had chosen a form that Danni was very familiar with, as Sekot had used it many times before to contact her with. As Kunra and she watched, the form of Jacen Solo began to walk up the hill they were on.

Seeing the two of them were awaiting his arrival, Sekot walked faster, eventually coming to stand right beside Danni, who tried to calm herself in the Force. The Jacen she saw was the very same Jacen that had come with her to Zonama Sekot in the later months of 28 ABY, the one that would never have considered to turn away from the light in favor of darkness. Jacen looked as he had right after he had saved her during a test propagated by Sekot, which had checked to see what Jacen would do in order to protect the ones he cared for.

"You are needed," Jacen-Sekot stated.

Unprepared for the statement, Danni furled an eyebrow, as Kunra crossed his arms. "And what is it that we are needed for, great Sekot?" Kunra asked.

"Dark days are approaching the Galaxy. I see many terrible trials coming to destroy those of us who use the Force, and those on their way to returning into its presence. I fear that there are vast amounts of darkness that are clouding my vision to see just what is trying to harm us."

Danni frowned, knowing that if Sekot was worried, then it meant that the threat had to be of a fierce origin, one that would cause much destruction if it were not kept in check. Its mention of darkness also surprised her, as she knew that Sekot was a practitioner of the Potentium, which viewed the dark side of the Force as an aberration that was caused by the misguided actions of those that warped the Force for their own doing, as Darth Caedus had done not too long ago. The teachings of the Potentium were not inherently wrong, but—as with many such things—it could be misconstrued by those that followed it to see what they wanted. Vergere, for example, was one of the biggest supporters of acknowledging that one's actions had to be ones that they trusted were the right thing to do, and this was why she had done wrong in order to set Jacen on the path to restore the Galaxy to its proper place. Unfortunately, she had died before she could continue teaching him the rest of her philosophy, and had been mysteriously absent during his turn to the dark side, even though her Force ghost had been present during the Battle of Ebaq 9, leading some to think that Lumiya was deliberately barring Vergere from lecturing her former student on his fallacious views on her words.

Something about the way that Jacen-Sekot had spoken made Danni shiver, as she had had to endure one too many brushes with those who abused their own powers to enforce their wills on others. Worry began to overcome her mind, but she shut it out in favor of finding out what it was that Sekot wanted to do.

"An admirable change of emotions, Danni Quee," Jacen-Sekot said. "You are well on your way to truly discovering yourself."

Danni nodded, not knowing exactly what to say back to Jacen-Sekot.

"You still have not instructed us on what this threat is or why we are needed to stop it," Kunra reminded Jacen-Sekot."

"Indeed I have not," it said. "Although my vision has been obscured, I was able to be a witness to one such vision that was provided by a being I have never encountered before. This being informed me that you needed to leave this system and head over to Lehon. There you will find what a path that will take you to your roles in this future story."

"Lehon?" Danni repeated. "Rakata Prime? The graveyard world? Why would we ever go there? The Rakata were a bunch of psychopathic slavers that tried to control the entire Galaxy! We just met them in the Rakatan Archipelago, and they tried to kill us! What could we possibly find there that could help anybody?"

"Calm down, Danni," Kunra said. "We know of what the Rakata did to those we sent to trade with them, but that does not matter. There are no Rakata on Lehon, am I correct, Sekot?"

Jacen-Sekot nodded. "Danni's fears are quite found, though. There are much fearsome and dark energy there that could ignite traps that would kill those who enter them. Why you are going there and what you hope to do are unknown to me. I am merely the guide."

"How are we going to get there?" Danni asked, still unhappy with the plan.

"I am providing a yorik-et as we speak," Jacen-Sekot said as he pointed into the night sky, where a crimson bioengineered coralskipper was heading toward them.

Like all devices used by the Yuuzhan Vong, the coralskipper was alive, and had fought many battles during the War. Most coralskippers were built for one pilot, but many—like the one that approached them—were grown and shaped into larger forms that could carry many diverse occupants inside with plenty of room. The coralskipper landed next to them, and a Ferroan pilot exited the vehicle as he bowed to Jacen-Sekot.

"All of your needed belongings reside in the yorik-et," Jacen-Sekot said. "May the Force be with you."

"And with you, Sekot," Danni said as she looked to Kunra, who motioned for her to head into the ship before him.

Stepping side, Danni waited Kunra to arrive, and watched as he then placed the cognition hood on his head, and started the coralskipper, leading it out of the system, as Sekot pushed aside the hyperspace anomalies, providing them with a clear shot to Lehon, where they would find out just what had Sekot worried about the fate of the Galaxy.

A/N: Alright, the next chapter will focus on Garindan and Maber Yeff as they deal with the slavery still present on Ylesia. I should be able to write this by Sunday at the earliest. Until next time...


	5. Chapter 4

A/N: Still suffering from traffic problems, but it's getting fixed from what I understand. I managed to get this done today without much of a problem. I await your responses to it. Please let me know if there is anything that I need to change or edit. Thanks in advance.

**Cha Raaba system, Ylesia, Peace City, near the Altar of Promises**

"Get moving, slave!" roared the Klatooinian taskmaster from atop his watchtower.

Looking up from the mud that he had been pushed in by his fellow slave—a large and intimidating Tarc named Fascyn, who had once been an assassin before he, like many of the beings on Ylesia, had been overtaken by the Exultation—Garindan pushed himself up to avoid getting beaten for perceived laziness. Trying to place his hood back on to avoid the harsh rays of Ylesia's sun—recently dubbed Bo, after the Huttese word for the number one, signifying that the Hutts desired to make sure that the Yuuzhan Vong's recent occupation of their world would be the last time it was ever in enemy hands—Garindan sighed and continued on his path to the road that led the weary slaves of Ylesia to their destination: The Altar of Promises, the site where all who lived on Ylesia must go to worship the teachings of the Cult of The One and The All. Like his fellow slaves, Garindan had been indoctrinated and forced to believe in the Cult, which had once been proven false in the Galaxy due to the endeavors of Han Solo and Bria Tharen, but had now returned to the short memory span of the denizens of the Galaxy, as well as the inability of the Galactic Alliance to properly pressure their Hutt neighbors to rid themselves of slave labor.

A tall member of the Kubaz species, Garindan had greenish-black skin typical of his race, black eyes that were obscured by his protective goggles, and a long snout used primarily to find and eat insects on his native world of Kubindi, where he had not been in years due to his dark past as an Imperial spy. Garindan was aging faster than he cared to admit, and was considered to be one-hundred and eight years old by the galactic standard. His body was beginning to fail him, which could have been restituted had he been given proper medical treatment, but very few of the doctors in the Galaxy could treat Kubaz, and the only ones that could had been warned by the ruling party of Kubindi to deny him treatment, or they would punish them, as a traitor to all the beings in the Galaxy deserved to die a painful death for his horrendous actions.

Garindan knew exactly why they treated him with such disdain and could not even begin to argue against what they said about him, as he agreed with them with all of his heart. Traitors all deserved little than death, especially when their abominable acts could have kept the entire Galaxy in the hands of the caliginous Galactic Empire. If he had succeeded in selling out the one hope of the Galaxy forty-five years ago, Garindan would have assured the subjugation of billions of beings and the shattered dreams of trillions more.

On Tatooine, Garindan had become one of the greatest spies and brokers of information on the entire planet, and was used even by the feared Jabba the Hutt for his unique skills. In his time there, Garindan had learned of the Empire's search for a group of droids that held plans for something that the Imperials had really wished to have returned to them. Sensing opportunity, he had agreed to help them out for a select fee of thirty pre-filled credit chips, eventually finding the droids in the company of Obi-Wan Kenobi and Luke Skywalker, who he reported to the man in charge of the operations of the stormtrooper Zeta Squadron on Tatooine, and then left with his money with him and ready to deposit. However, as he found out later that day, the Imperials had failed to capture the droids or their owners, leading to the destruction of the Death Star and the beginning of the end for the Empire thanks to the actions of the Rebel Alliance, Luke Skywalker, and the many individuals that had found the Death Star plans and delivered them to the forces on Yavin IV. Immediately after Garindan had found his contacts had begun to leave him, as if they no longer wished to be associated with him, even Jabba, who was wary of the changes in the way that the Rebels had changed the tide of the war against the Empire, and had even hired a group of bounty hunters two years later that were led by Djas Puhr, a Sakiyan male who also had ties to the slave networks of the Hutts, and Garindan had almost been caught by his former allies, as he managed to smuggle himself out of Tatooine in the _Outrider_, owned by Dash Rendar, the famous cause of Prince Xizor's death during the Battle of Falleen's Fist. Paying Render for his gracious help, Garindan had charted Rendar to take him to Kubindi, where he found a less than receptive populace that had almost sold him out to Jabba for reasons he barely understood at the time.

Due to his natural criminal mindset, Garindan had found it almost impossible to believe that he had committed any wrongdoing, as he had just been trying to make a living, but the many angry members of his species thought differently, and wished to be rid of his presence, as other species associated them with contempt and stereotyped them as foul, worthless creatures that would all sell out their friends for a few credits. Determined to set the facts straight, many of the Kubaz had arrested Garindan the moment he landed on Kubindi and brought him before Djas, who then arranged for Rorak IV in order to become a slave, but his captivity prove to be short-lived, as the Nikto captain had decided to journey to Rorak IV by taking a longer route and had ended up on Pirik, which came under attack from the Empire due to the presence of a large group of Rebels. Thanks to the confusion, Garindan had slipped away and made it a point to never find himself in a system sensitive to Rebel or Hutt interests, leading him to choose the upper Outer Rim as a new destination, ending up on Pochi in the Parthovian Cluster, which came under the control of Faarl the Conqueror, and for three years Faarl reigned supreme, but in his last year, he was captured by Boba Fett, who claimed the fifty thousand credit bounty of him.

During the rule of Faarl, Garindan had allied with him, feeling that the human and his famed Tulvaree bodyguards would protect him from anyone that came after him. However, once Fett had taken Faarl, the Mandalorian had noticed Garindan as well and taken him captive so that he could be brought before the Desilijic clans, who—even though Jabba had died at the hands of Princess Leia years ago—would still honor the bounty, and then shipped Garindan to Ylesia, this time ensuring that he would head there first, with no stops between Nal Hutta and the slavers of Ylesia. Knowing that this time he was doomed to become a slave, Garindan had thought back on his life, finding that he had done nothing but harm others through his actions and had wished for repentance, but he could not find an outlet for his dreams of forgiveness to enter. Weakened both emotionally and physically, he had become one of the many faceless denizens of Ylesia, which had returned to its former state as a deadly world with no hope of escape.

In his first days there, Garindan had begun to feel a strange sense of happiness, even as he cursed his state of life. Wondering what that could mean, Garindan had managed to slip into the archives of Ylesia, finding that one of the species in charge of the planet was causing his newfound joyfulness, and that there was almost no way to counteract it. Garindan had then found out that his new overseers—members of the Hutt offshoot race known as the t'landa Til—had a very unique evolutionary ability that was prominent in the males of their species that caused any female t'landa Til in the area to come to them and mate. However, this ability also had an affect on members of other species, creating a narcotic ability that made them enter euphoric states of mind that caused even the most hardened of beings to lose their minds and then involuntarily join the commands of the t'landa Til that sent the changes, a process known as Exultation. Many of the slaves on Ylesia had come there because of being exposed to t'landa Til agents that had used their ability to force them to follow them back to Ylesia, where they would live the remainder of their lives in slavery. Knowing that his mind was not strong enough to fight off the affects of the Exultation, Garindan had bribed a Rodian overseer with credits from a secret account to tell him if there was a way to get rid of the Exultation, so that he could keep his own mind, even if he couldn't use his credits to escape Ylesia, as no overseer was foolish enough to defy the Hutts or t'landa Til, as they would be added to the slaves sooner than they could spend their credits. The overseer had revealed to Garindan that a certain species was banned from Ylesia, as it held an enzyme that destroyed the affects of Exultation, and that the Hutts had tried to destroy it at its source, but Rebel forces had halted their attempt.

On the Outer Rim world of Marca lived an aquatic animal that were called swamp sharks, which had a natural enemy in the swamp serpents that all dwelled near them and had a biological feature similar to Exultation. Over some time, the swamp sharks had evolved an ability to fight off the Exultation-like ability and now could live among the swamp serpents without worrying about being eaten easily. The Hutts had found out about this once they had received a shipment of the sharks for food, and one of the chefs had done an analysis of the shark's DNA, finding the enzyme that fought off Exultation and provided it to several slaves and saved them from their lords, but at the cost of his freedom, as he was captured, tortured for information, and then forced to work in the spice factories.

Using this information, Garindan had arranged for a shipment of swamp sharks to come to Ylesia—under the false name of emerald sharks, which they had a resemblance to—and then extracted the enzyme to prevent himself from becoming a mindless member of Ylesia, yet still pretending to be so in order to stay conscious. For years Garindan had worked with the spice, which had almost come to an end during the Yuuzhan Vong War. When the Yuuzhan Vong had invaded Ylesia, Garindan had thought he was going to die, but he had found himself and one of the few that had survived the assault, and that the Yuuzhan Vong had no intention of killing any of them again, as the Peace Brigade would take over the production of the planet's wealth and use it to ruin worlds that the Yuuzhan Vong would invade, thus making their job easier. For a year, Garindan had served his new masters, hating every moment of it, yet still keeping his own supply of swamp sharks to remain sane. However, when the New Republic had raided the planet, he had thought himself free once more, but the t'landa Til had hidden some of the slaves away, as they knew the New Republic would free them once they won, and waited until they had left before they maintained their operations.

Ever since then, Garindan had been one of the faceless members of the slaves, having no ways to save himself except for his enzyme, but even that was proving to lose its value due to his repeated use of it for years.

Sighing as he continued down the road with the rest of his fellow slaves, Garindan stared out into the sky and made a promise, _I have denied the Galaxy of my true talents and squandered them on myself. I swear to make up for my misdeeds, and to help out my fellow beings in any way that I can. If the Force exists, then I swear to it that I will do what must be done. All I want is to leave here with my life. I am an old Kubaz, one who has seen too much pain to last my humble lifetime. Please give me a second chance._

Garindan grunted as a small Lannik bumped into him and passed him by without even apologizing for her rudeness. Garindan didn't speak up, knowing such an action would separate him from the other members of the crowd for his independence, but it seemed that someone had noticed his sudden movement and was watching him closely. Making sure to keep his looks over to where he saw the one gazing at him were small, Garindan found a male Makurth standing near a Bothan, Duros, and Elomin that was staring intently at him. Unwilling to blow his intelligence, Garindan shambled forward, barely missing a Baragwin that was carrying two small girls, one of the Zelosian race and the other a human.

_Remain calm, Garindan_, he reminded himself, as he continued down the path, this time electing to stand beside a Weequay female and an Ortolan male.

Feeling the eyes of the Makurth still on him, Garindan dared to look back, finding that the Makurth was standing right behind him with his finger up to his mouth, a signal mostly used by humans to designate that they wanted the one who saw the finger to remain calm. Before he could react, Garindan found himself walking beside the Makurth, who smiled at him with his impressive teeth and piercing black eyes.

"No one is watching now," the Makurth said. "Safe to talk."

Garindan almost froze in place, but kept walking, afraid of the consequences if he did not keep moving. "Who are you?" he asked. "What do you want with me?"

"Good, you are aware of your surroundings, then. I was beginning to think that you were as mindless as the others here."

"Answer my questions now. I want to know what you want from me."

"Direct. I like that. Very well, I am Maber Yeff, and I am here to start a slave revolt. Will you join me, Garindan?"

"What did you say? How do you know who I am?"

Maber grinned. "Your face is very recognizable. Many know the face of the Galaxy's biggest traitor. I care not for your past, though. I, however, do know that you have a means that blocks the Exultation from taking control of your mind. I tracked your supplies down and have now inoculated myself to make sure I remain sane as well."

Garindan stared at Maber for a moment, wondering just who he was talking to. If this being had figured out he had been shipping swamp sharks to save himself, then surely that meant that the Hutts would discover it as well. He would be dead before he could escape his captors.

"Worry not, Garindan," Maber said. "Your secret is safe with me. I worked on a ship that operated on Marca during the War, and located your shipments, which were falsely placed. I began to research them, and here I am."

"What is your purpose here?" Garindan asked. "Surely you joked earlier. It is impossible to rebel against the Hutts and t'landa Til."

"It has happened before, and it shall be done once more. I have amends to make here. The past has haunted me for far too long."

"What past of yours do you talk about? Why would you be doing this? Why me?"

Maber frowned. "When the Yuuzhan Vong invaded, I joined the Peace Brigade, because my brother had been killed by a Jedi when he had attacked the Jedi for messing up his pirating operation. I even participated in the invasion of Yavin IV, where the trainees were almost killed by the Yuuzhan Vong. I was one of the few members of the Peace Brigade to escape with my life from that world. During my time there, I began to question my connection to the Yuuzhan Vong, as I witnessed their baser nature, and wondered if maybe I was on the wrong side. However, I was unable to think more on it, as I was reassigned to attacking refugee vessels in order to get the Jedi to surrender. I learned during this time that the refugees that were captured by us were sent to Ylesia, where they would live their lives as slaves."

Garindan nodded, knowing that, so far, it sounded as if Maber was speaking the truth, as he had seen the new arrivals years ago.

"My conscience couldn't take my actions anymore," Maber continued. "I told myself that I was through with the Peace Brigade and that I was going to save the people I had wronged, but when the New Republic invaded Ylesia, I was forced to fly away to another stronghold of ours, where I was placed under suspicion for being a spy and imprisoned on Praidaw. For years I was there, even after the Yuuzhan Vong and Peace Brigade had been defeated. My fellows decided to become an independent organization and joined up with other pirates to attack Galactic Alliance vessels for their cargo. I was forced to work for them, and have only recently regained my own freedom, thanks to the efforts of a Jedi named Sothais Saar, who saved me from my fellows and told me that I was needed elsewhere, based on a vision that he had received that day. I chose to follow his instructions and now I am here, ready to make up for my actions."

Maber looked over at Garindan, awaiting his response. Garindan stared at the Makurth as if he had just been infected with Candorian plague.

"Are you insane, Maber?" Garindan asked. "This is stupid. I have never heard of a more foolish mission in my life. Why would you waste the opportunity that this Jedi gave you? Isn't there some other way that you can repay your debt to the Galaxy?"

Maber shook his head. "This is it," he said. "I was led here by the Force, and it has led me to you, because you were smart enough to trick the Hutts and t'landa Til. You and I are needed to save these people, Garindan. Don't you want to make up for what you have done?"

Garindan turned away from Maber to think his words through. He knew that he wanted to atone for his actions, but he had wanted to do so in a way that wouldn't end up with him being killed, or worse, indoctrinated into the Cult without his enzyme to keep him aware. Surely there was some other way to make amends for his actions.

However, the more he thought on the subject, the more he felt a tugging sensation in his mind, as if his spirit was telling him to listen to Maber, and follow through with his plan, even if it didn't make sense and was too sudden to be possible. Wishing he had some other way to get out of his thought process, Garindan sighed.

"What do we need to do?" he asked, as they entered the Altar of Promises.

A/N: The next chapter will return to Ken, as he tracks down Tash and Zak Arranda, as they work on a dig on Lehon. While there, they come under attack by a mercenary and his crew, who have been hired to get rid of them. I might get to this by Tuesday at the earliest. Until next time...


	6. Chapter 5

A/N: Finally got this one done today. Watched the LOST season finale on Sunday and I was blown away. It took me some time after it to finally put everything together, but it was still fun to watch. Please let me know if there is anything that needs to be corrected or changed here. Thanks in advance.

Chapter 5

**Lehon system, Lehon, Temple of the Ancients**

**1**

Tash Arranda placed her glareshades on as Abo rose in the distance, shedding light on the dig site near what had once been called the Temple of the Ancients. The majestic orange sun had once supplied an ancient Rakatan weapon known as the Star Forge with power that had given it the ability to create many vessels and machines that had supplied the war machine with the many materials needed to fund the Sith Empire of the former Sith Lord Revan and later his apprentice Darth Malak. The Temple had provided the space station with added defenses that prevented any invading ships from entering its location in realspace, and instead dragged them into the planet below, leading to the individuals on board getting killed by random Rakatan tribes or by the Sith left behind to guard the Temple. Years ago, during the final battle of the Jedi Civil War, Revan had been redeemed by the Jedi Knight Bastila Shan, and tried to make up for his mistakes, as he led a team of friends into the Star Forge, where he had eventually killed Malak and destroyed the Star Forge, leaving only traces of it behind to remind the Galaxy it had once been there.

Many rumors had sprung up following the Star Forge's demise, most of which postulated the theory that the weapon was capable of resurrecting itself, and could then create a fleet for any being smart enough to come to it and control its power. However, such ideas had no basis in fact, and the Star Forge had been totally obliterated during the battle to dispose of it, causing such odd and outlandish theories to live only in the minds of deluded beings that held no proper place in the history of the Galaxy. Unfortunately, despite many attempts by archeologists to disprove the ideas that the Star Forge was indeed gone, the theories still persisted. Emboldened to set out and get the facts correct and make sure everyone in the Galaxy would stop fantasizing about owning and abusing the powers of the Star Forge, Tash had left her anthropologist offices on Chandrila along with her younger brother Zak to begin an expedition on Lehon based primarily around the study of the Star Forge and its former controllers, the long-dead Rakata.

Fifty-eight years old, Tash appeared to be more around her late thirties, thanks to modern medical treatments that helped to elongate human lives. Tash's long blonde hair was tied in what had been dubbed a ponytail after a unique hairstyle that become popularized in human cultures after seeing members of the Thakwaash species utilize it, and had dazzling blue eyes. A highly-illegal, yet useful DX-2 disruptor pistol hung by her right side, while a lone lightsaber that, when ignited, emitted a color akin to sapphire.

Looking over to her brother and fellow anthropologist and archeologist was, Tash saw Zak wiping the sweat away from his dark brown hair, as his brown eyes caught her gaze and then he smiled at her, which she returned. Only a year younger than his sister, Zak showed his age more than she did, mostly for his tendency to get himself into trouble with the sentient beings that they encountered on their many trips to mysterious sites across the Galaxy. Zak was fiercely protective of his older sister and had stayed by her side ever since their home planet of Alderaan had been destroyed by the Death Star many years ago, an act that had killed their parents and left them under the Shi'ido anthropologist Mammon Hoole, who had been acting as their guardian ever since then, protecting them from the treacherous Borborygmus Gog, who had tried many times to take the children and use them for his own devious plans. Tash, Zak, and Mammon had evaded him for years and finally escaped him once Gog had been killed by the ancient spirits of the Kivan species, who Gog had personally overseen the destruction of years ago under orders from Emperor Palpatine.

Mammon, fearful of their ability to defend themselves and curious to see if their growing abilities in the Force were adequate enough to be used to help others, had sent the siblings to live on New Alderaan, where they had trained under Luke Skywalker in the ways of the Force and then became members of the New Jedi Order, but only for a time as they had learned quickly that they were not meant to be full-fledged Jedi, and that their talents lied in the field of discovering the mysteries of the Galaxy. With Luke's blessing, they had left to enroll in the same university that their uncle had taught at: The Chandrilan Academy of Sciences. There, Tash and Zak had learned from many of the greatest minds in the Galaxy, such as Nashiak Llalik, Voren Na'al, and Ebenn Q3 Baobab. During this time, Tash and Zak had met Ken—then known only by his given name—and established a friendship with him, especially after learning of his history as a Jedi who wished to explore his role in the Galaxy. Tash and Ken had even began a romantic liaison with one another, which they had both broken off during the Yevethan Purge, when Ken had left Chandrila to join an illegal New Republic group that had fought off the Yevetha as they killed off any species that was not Yevetha in what they claimed was their space. Tash had wanted to avoid getting involved in violence once more, as she had dealt with far more than she wished to experience again. Leaving each other had been hard to do, but they had kept contact with each other over the years, and Tash had watched as Ken returned to the Order, went elsewhere, and then repeated the cycle over again.

Ever since graduating from the Academy, Tash and Zak had traveled together for years, going from worlds as mysterious as Te Hasa—where they had managed to sneak in and study ancient Gree lore to publish a history of their species—or as well-known as Argai, homeworld of Xim the Despot. They had both even gone undercover with Leia and Han Solo on Caluula during the Yuuzhan Vong War, where they had experienced firsthand the affects of Alpha Red on any form of life that it could kill. Ever since then, Tash and Zak had stayed away from the major conflicts of the Galaxy, preferring instead to quietly study the secrets that the Galaxy had to offer them if they searched hard enough to locate them, as they were now doing on Lehon without the normal team of anthropologists that they were prone to work with.

"Sis, look at this," Zak said, breaking Tash from her thoughts.

Looking over to where his now pointed finger was indicating, finding that he had used the Force to levitate a pack of fallen stone to reveal the bones of what appeared to be a Twi'lek male who had obviously died in a terrifying fashion. Moving over to him, Tash examined the remains and felt a minor surge of dark energy emanate from the bones, letting them both know that their new find was anything but benign in his past life.

"Well, I guess that Karpyshyn did do at least some research," Tash said, as she recalled a passage that she had read that had been about the New Sith Wars. "Do you know who this is?"

"No, do you?" he asked, knowing that his sister was picking up on something that he had neglected to read about.

"That, little brother, is Kas'im, one of the Lords of the Brotherhood of Darkness that was supposedly killed by Darth Bane on this very planet right before the final battles of Ruusan."

"You mean that the stories are true? Bane's the real reason that this Temple is so messed up? Amazing! That must have taken a massive amount of Force energy to do that!"

"Yeah," Tash said, frowning at the shattered remains of the Temple, "but of the wrong kind."

Zak nodded. "If we can excavate that corpse and make sure to check it for dark energies, then this would be an amazing find. I'm a little way of taking him with us, but I think we'll be more than a match for a long dead Sith."

Tash smiled. "Just don't get too cocky, Zak. The last thing we want is to tempt something else that wants to—" Tash paused, sensing danger nearby. "Kark it all! Zak, look for cover!"

Sensing the same approach of danger as she did, Zak took out his lightsaber amplified by its Hurrikaine crystal and also brought out the Verpine droid disintegrator he had found during a brawl on Umbara as he joined Tash behind a gigantic rock formation that completely hid their bodies, just as a barrage of blaster fire hit the area that they had stood on not but two seconds before. Easing her head around the jagged rock, Tash located their attackers and froze when she saw just who was fighting them.

Mandalorians.

**2**

Ken Elegin exited hyperspace right near the closest moon of Lehon, as he witnessed a broken fragment of the former Star Forge knock itself into another fragment, causing the two blocks of metal to head into opposite directions. The flight to Lehon had been boring, and he had had no trouble gaining access to the system, despite his worry that his vessel would encounter rogue elements of the Unknown Regions, such as the slaver race known as the Vagaari Empire to their enemies among the Chiss. However, no such encounter arose, and his entire journey had been devoted to thinking on his vision, including what he would say to the Arrandas the moment that they saw each other. It had been a very long time since they had seen each other, and he was unsure if Tash would be happy to see him, especially after the way they had left each other when they had had a disagreement with one another on what their role in the Galaxy was for.

Before he could start to think of another response, he sensed a minor disturbance in the Force as his StealthX approached the lower atmosphere of Lehon, causing him to almost lose control of his ship, but his R5 droid, Dancer, noticed the discrepancy in his flight pattern and momentarily took over the starfighter to correct its landing path. Seeing Dancer's actions, Ken shook his head and took back control of the ship, as he felt the presences of Tash and Zak in danger on the surface below.

"Thanks for taking care of me, Dancer," Ken said, smiling despite himself.

Dancer warbled a reply to inform Ken that they were close to the dig site.

"Alright, but before that, I need you to scan for other forms of life besides two human bio-signs, okay?"

Dancer gave an affirmative.

Waiting for the scan to finish, Ken stared down at the planet's surface, where a storm was beginning to start, while Dancer was placing the information he needed on the interface screen. Having seen many years of active service, Dancer had been the primary astromech droid for Mara Jade during the Yuuzhan Vong War, and had saved her life many times during her stint as a pilot in Saber Squadron.

Dancer finished relaying the data, and Ken read it, finding that Tash and Zak were not alone on Lehon, and that they were being surrounded by a group of humans, Mantellian Savrips, Twi'leks, Togorians, and a lone Calibop.

"Who are these people?" Ken asked, feeling that they weren't there to help the Arrandas out with their dig.

Dancer whistled a negative.

"Sorry, Dancer, I was asking a rhetorical question. Any signs of ships on the planet?"

Dancer gave an affirmative and then offered the readouts on a _Belarus_-class medium cruiser and an Arakyd Industries _Helix_-class light interceptor whose call sign gave itself away as the _Shroud_, personal starship of Tash and Zak Arranda. The cruiser was identified as the _Loyal Defender_, a ship that had been lost to Mandalorian forces during the Second Galactic Civil War.

"Head there now!" Ken yelled. "Prepare for a fight, Dancer. It looks like Tash and Zak have made the wrong friends."

Accelerating the StealthX nearer to the anthropologists, Ken felt them fighting off the Mandalorian forces. He knew that neither of them was prepared for prolonged fights, especially with experienced warriors like the Mandalorian Protectors. Guiding the StealthX down, Ken let Dancer locate the nearest swoop bike owned by the Protectors and let out a short burst of blaster fire that blew up the swoop bikes, and sent the Protectors into a state of surprise. Feeling the mind of Tash seeking out the thoughts of their newfound savior, Ken sent her a thought that told her to stand down and wait for him to fight off the Protectors. Unable to fight off an aerial attack, the Mandalorian commanders on the ground called their comrades back to the remaining swoop bikes and fled the area around the Arrandas and the _Shroud_, leaving Tash and Zak safe.

Thanking the Force for a short battle, Ken looked down at the ground to see both Tash and Zak waving at him, with enthusiasm in their eyes, but he also felt a sense of a questioning tone inside the back of her mind. He knew that it was because she was trying to figure out just why he was there and how he had known to get there in time to save them, and he was sure that he would be asking the same questions if he were in her position.

Sending directions to Dancer, Ken instructed the astromech to begin landing near the dig site, and close to the _Shroud_, just in case the Protectors came back.

Sighing, Ken began to ask his own questions, wondering why two innocent scientists like the Arrandas had been attacked, and by Mandalorian mercenaries no less. None of it made any sense, but he felt that the moment he landed on the planet's surface, he would find out soon enough from the Arrandas, who he was really looking forward to see again.

**3**

Ram Zerimar watched as his fellow Mandalorian Protectors entered the camp around what had once been called the _Loyal Defender_, but was now called the _Shuk'orok_, which was Mando'a for crushgaunt, a type of weapon popular on Mandalore for its ability to kill the one it held in its grasp with efficiency and augmented strength.

Near him were his bodyguards, two Mandallian Giants, who had been with him ever since he had left Mandalore and the Protectors behind to start his own mercenary group. Ever since his people had joined with Chief of State Natasi Daala, he had left them behind with his own select group of Mandalorian Protectors, who all wished to use the term for themselves, as they felt that their people no longer deserved the title. His group worked for whoever had the highest amount of credits in an effort to fund their organization, which was frowned upon by members of their former people, who wished for all of the Mandalorian community to remain on Mandalore to strengthen it. The job that they had just agreed to take had also forced them to get rid of even more of their former suppliers, due to its nature.

Ram knew that killing—especially when the ones to be killed were Jedi—was frowned upon by many races in the Galaxy and that his group was not gaining any allies by doing so, but he also knew that he had a business to run and that he had to make sacrifices to support his true friends in the organization. Durrei—their mysterious backer—had been very specific when he'd said that Zak and Tash Arranda were working against Galactic Alliance interests and were often seen supplying Imperial forces with smuggled weapons, and that they were a threat that needed to be exterminated. Although he'd had reservations about killing them—mostly due to the fact that the Arrandas were pacifistic in nature—Ram had seen the evidence for himself that they had joined up with Imperial Star Destroyers to deliver supplies of baradium missiles, which were all powerful enough to completely annihilate a capital ship if hit in the right spot. Due to the volatile nature of the weapons, Ram had decided to do what was necessary and kill the Arrandas, as the holographic evidence he had seen was irrefutable.

When he viewed the assault on their camp, however, he was greeted by the sight of an unknown party that had decided to interfere with their carefully laid out plans. The individual had been piloting a StealthX, one that had obliterated several of their swoop bikes, yet hadn't killed any of his men.

The remaining swoop bikes entered the camp that he had set up to be a temporary base for them to eliminate the Arrandas, but now looked like it would have to last a little longer. With his Mandallian Giant guards walking with him, Ram approached the lead Mandalorian figure, a human female named Isko Talgal.

"Who did this to you?" he asked.

"Unknown, sir," Isko said. "But that was definitely a StealthX, so he must have been a Jedi."

Ram nodded, knowing that her idea wasn't too farfetched. "Then that would explain how he was able to interfere with our plans. I will deal with this personally. Leave them to me."

"Yes, sir!"

Moving back to his tent, Ram frowned underneath his golden helmet, wishing that he had an easier job ahead of him.

A/N: Alright, the next chapter will introduce Raynar Thul and Dordi to the story, and hint at their role in it. I might be able to write it on Thursday or Friday. Until next time...


	7. Chapter 6

A/N: Sorry about the delay here, guys. I've had a rough week finding them to get some writing done, and have just now been able to get this finished. Please let me know if there is anything that needs to be changed or revised and please enjoy.

Chapter 6

**Coruscant system, Coruscant, New Jedi Temple**

**1**

Raynar Thul, one of many Jedi Knights in the Order, sat down nearby the Jedi Temple and ate his lunch, which he always did at the same time every single day. This had never once been interrupted, even during the Temple siege that had taken place two years ago when several Mandalorian agents had blockaded the Jedi under Chief of State Daala's command. Only thanks to the intervention of Wynn Dorvan, Daala's aide, who had eaten with Raynar many times before and had stopped the Mandalorians that day from killing Raynar. However, due to recent events in the change of the Galaxy's structure, Wynn was now unable to eat with the young man who had been born nine years after the destruction of Alderaan on the Bornaryn Trading vessel the _Tradewyn_. Although Alderaan had been gone for years before Raynar's birth, he still considered himself to have been born on the world, and was proud of his heritage.

Thirty-six years old, Raynar had blond hair, blue eyes, and was quite tall for a human, most of which had been the result of living as the leader of the Killiks during the Swarm War, where he had been heavily disfigured by the crash of the _Tachyon Flier _on the planet Yoggoy in the Unknown Regions. Nursed to health by the Yoggoy Killik hive, Raynar had slowly changed in appearance, eventually becoming the supposed leader of all the Killik hives under the name of UnuThul. However, his leadership was always circumvented by Lomi Plo and Welk, two Force-sensitives that had also survived the YV-888 light freighter, and had taken full control of all the Killiks, manipulating them into doing whatever they wanted, and creating the Gorog hive, which had worked to control the hives from within due to secrecy, and had almost succeeded, but they had been stopped once Luke Skywalker killed Lomi and Welk, and had redeemed Raynar, thus leaving the hives without a strong Force-sensitive leader to guide them. Due to his experiences in the hives, Raynar was now fitted with a prosthetic arm, which had taken some time for him to get used to, as he was used to operating with his normal appendages. Thanks to the healing of the Mon Calamari Jedi Master Cilghal, Raynar had also undergone reconstructive surgery to help to repair his wounds and his severe disfigurements had been healed tremendously and he showed very little signs that he had ever suffered following the Mission to Myrkr, save for some scars on his face that he kept to remind himself to never abuse his power like he had with the Killik hives.

Gnawing at a piece of dindra, a spicy meal that was a major part of the Yagai diet, who used the meat of the laigrek—an insect that lived on Dantooine—which they had taken away from the grassy world to be adapted to Yaga Minor's environment. Dindra was named after the Yagai word for delectable, which described how many insectoid species tasted the delicacy. Due to his time in the Killik hives, Raynar had developed a taste for unique foods that normal humans found somewhat difficult to eat. Many saw this as him pining for his glory days among the Killik hives and spoke behind his back, saying that he was secretly planning to go back there and take control of them once more. However, Raynar simply wished to acknowledge that he had learned from his past and would embrace it, so that he could discover himself better. Despite what many people thought of him, he still enjoyed what was considered to be the regular food that humans ate, and had a smoked nerf sandwich with him as well, along with a bottle of Whyren's Reserve, an alcoholic beverage loved by the people of Corellia for its crisp taste that sharpened with age. Although he was not an enthusiastic alcohol consumer, Raynar had found that minute amounts of it were good enough to give him some momentary peace of mind, especially in his darkest days, mostly due to the recent events that had killed his friends.

Being mostly inactive during the Second Galactic Civil War, Raynar had done very little in it to help his fellow Jedi and had stayed on a secret Jedi base on Truuine, as the other Jedi had not wanted him on Shedu Maad, fearful that he would cause mischief while they were too busy dealing with Darth Caedus. Knowing that Jacen's descent into darkness may have started due to his misunderstanding certain teachings of the enigmatic Fosh Vergere, Raynar had felt saddened that the once great man had lost his way and was now threatening the Jedi Order and the entire Galaxy thanks to the machinations of Lumiya and the insanity of Alema Rar. As many in the Order had done, he had considered his past with Jacen and wondered if he could possibly have done what Jacen had to the Galaxy. Searching his past, Raynar knew that he had the potential to end up like Caedus and it had done harm to his recovery, forcing himself to undergo more years of therapy than he had prepared for. However, the patience of his friends and family, including his mother Aryn Dro Thul, who had waited for years for her son to take his place in the Bornaryn Trading company, but had found that he was not suited for it and had placed famed businessman Meego—a Nuiwit male from Altor 14, who had owned Meego's Starship Emporium on a world on the Giju Run called Necropolis—to take control of the company. Aryn had retired following that, and now lived in luxury on Eriadu, but also maintained a home on Zeltros and Z'trop. Due to his connections with the company, Raynar was awarded several privileges, allowing him the opportunity to use any vessel in the company's fleet with no questions asked.

Placing his remaining meal inside of his carrying case, Raynar picked himself up and then stretched, ready to reenter the Jedi Temple in order to begin his security work in an hour, a job he had been given by Izal Waz, an Arcona male who had been a member of Saba Sebatyne's Wild Knights, and was now a Jedi Master. Raynar had worked with Izal during the harder years of his therapy, and the Arcona had taken pity on him, training him in the Force, while other Jedi would remain away from him at all costs, even though the then Jedi Knight Izal had many of his own apprentices to watch after, including a member of the Tchuukthai species named Gaarx, who had come out of hiding following the dissolution of the Galactic Empire to return to the Galaxy in order to bridge the gap between his people and the beings of the Galaxy, as he knew that they needed to join together to help face off mutual threats to their safety.

Izal and Raynar were quite fond of each other, and the job that Izal had gained for Raynar had caused him to be ostracized by some members of the Order, a petty response that the Master cared little for. The job involved watching over the Temple's many exit points, so that no one could ever leave or enter it without the Jedi knowing. Normally he worked alone, but sometimes he would be assisted by a Squib Jedi Knight called Kwilper, who had been a trader before being found by Corran Horn during a training exercise on Danuta. However, Kwilper worked with him erratically, due to being used to settle disputes on Skor II between rival trading groups, where he was at now. Raynar was fond of the elder Kwilper, but he was glad to have moments of peace where he could work alone, as he knew he was better then.

Walking through the Temple, Raynar passed a group of Jedi trainees, which consisted of three humans, one Dornean, two Ho'Din, three Neimoidians, and one Aar'aa. Some among the younger apprentices reacted to his face with fear, but the Jedi in charge of them—Tionne and Kam Solusar—calmed the children down with the Force and smiled at Raynar. Having known him for years and trained him the majority of those years, Kam and Tionne had always treated Raynar with respect, even after the debacle with the Swarm War. The majestic Masters held a lot of sway in the Order, and had helped Raynar out with his rehabilitation. Smiling back at them for the nice gesture, Raynar watched as some of the children eased up their expressions, and that the ones that had shied away from him were now grinning wildly, which he continued to return.

Moving past the trainees, Raynar entered the Jedi Temple central security station and relieved Madurrin—an Anx Jedi who, unlike many of her species, was not from Gravlex Med, but from Zircon, which was on the opposite side of the Galaxy—from her duties. Nodding at each other as they switched, Madurrin and Raynar moved away from each other and Madurrin exited the room, leaving Raynar alone.

Sitting down in the chair, Raynar began monitoring the Temple, watching a Kel Dor Jedi trainee—on loan from the Baron Do Sages—bending a datapad with the Force as a male Chadra-Fan and a female Gand Jedi Master watched over her. In another room, Jedi Master Tam Azur-Jamin instructed a young Cathar Knight practice the Djem So lightsaber form against a remote.

Raynar did not like watching his fellow Jedi as they trained, but knew that he had to keep watch over the Temple in order to prevent intruders from entering the corridors and taking any of the artifacts held within that could cause much damage to the Galaxy if they were unleashed. He knew that some Jedi could feel the presence of him watching them through the cameras, but that they would ignore him, even if they felt uneasy, as they knew the importance of keeping all who dwelled within the Temple safe.

Suddenly, however, Raynar was no longer in the Temple watching over the Jedi through the security cameras. He felt his mind being taken away to a different realm, one that proved to be inhabited by a majestic saurian figure that towered over him. Frightened by the sudden change in his location—which proved now to be a lush, beautiful spring on a world Raynar had never seen before—Raynar shivered, but calmed himself with the Force, just as the saurian figure stood up and walked toward him. Staring up at the figure, Raynar glimpsed an enormous dust cloud that surrounded the planet he was on, creating an ethereal feeling across the planet.

_Raynar Thul, _a masculine and serpentine voice said. _Your time has come._

"What?" Raynar asked, blinded by the luminescent scales on the reptilian figure. "What are you talking about? Who are you?"

_A friend. One who will lead you to your destiny. _

"And what is that?"

_Head into space. Go to the Hapes Cluster. Once you reach it, you will know where you need to go. This will lead you to the path you need to take later. _

"But why am I needed? Why not someone else? Why should I do this? I'm not ready."

_Yes you are, Raynar Thul. You are more than ready for this. You have been ready for years, yet you keep holding yourself back. _

"But I can't leave!" Raynar protested. "I have to stay and heal myself! I can't leave the Temple behind, let alone Coruscant! There's no way that I can escape here!"

_Become small in the Force. Make your presence diminutive in nature. You have learned this from the Killiks. They taught you to hide yourself when needed. Do so, and you will escape the Temple and have find the path to your destiny. _

Raynar frowned and thought on this being's words. It—or he, as Raynar could now tell—seemed to be friendly and wished him no harm, but he was also mysterious in its presence in the Force, so much that the figure didn't show his face, or much of his body. However, the sincerity that Raynar felt from him was immediately evident, so he knew that the being could be trusted. He could indeed hide his presence in the Force in a way that only the most experienced Masters could locate him, but only if they were looking. If no one knew he was leaving, then there would be no reason to look for him in the Force.

Looking up to the massive saurian, Raynar said, "I will do this as you ask of me. Let me leave this realm and I shall do as you say. I will ask no questions and trust in the Force."

_Then you may leave, _the saurian said. _May the Force be with you_.

Watching the light surrounding him vanish in an instant, Raynar found himself back in the security station, and that no time had passed. Gathering his gold lightsaber, Raynar took his supply pack that he kept with him at all times and left the room behind, concealing his presence in the Force so that no one could sense him.

Sneaking away toward the Temple hangar bay, Raynar passed by a Devaronian trainee who was following a Vratix group leader as a visiting Horansi representative from Mutanda was explaining the origins of their cooperation with the Xan of Algara II. Noting that they could not see him, even though he had not masked himself with invisibility, Raynar managed to get past Vekki and enter the hangar bay. Opening a StealthX, Raynar grabbed the ignition key, posted a code to operate the vehicle and left the hangar bay behind to jump into hyperspace, where he made his way to the Hapes Cluster, not knowing exactly what he was supposed to do.

**2**

Dordi stood before Jedi Battlemaster Kyle Katarn and waited for him to speak with her on her new mission. Short for a Barabel, Dordi had black-gray skin, red eyes, and an elongated tail that stretched good meter in length. Trained as a Jedi from an early age, Dordi had been one of the many Barabels chosen by Saba Sebatyne and Eelysa to join the Wild Knights during the Yuuzhan Vong War, and had been born eight years before the invasion. For some reason, Jedi in the Temple were wary of some new development, one that worried them immensely, and now she was being charged with dealing with it.

Kyle spoke softly, yet she could still feel the worry in his voice, "Earlier today, Raynar Thul left the Temple without any discernible reason and is heading to the Hapes Cluster. Your mission is to track him down and bring him back here, preferably without hurting him."

"And if he resists?" Dordi asked.

"Knock him unconscious with a tranquilizer dart, but nothing more. Keep him stable so that we can assess his reasons for leaving immediately."

"Yes, Master Katarn. Thisz one will do az told."

"Then leave now and find him immediately. There's no telling what he'll do out there."

Rising up, Dordi left Master Katarn behind and began her journey to the hangar bay, where she would begin her mission to find Raynar Thul.

A/N: Okay, the next chapter will show what has happened to Shul Vaal since we last saw him, as well as introduce two other characters to the story. I don't know when it will be written, but it should be relatively soon. Until next time...


	8. Chapter 7

A/N: Got to this one a little sooner than I expected, so I might have some time to get some other work done quicker than I thought. Please let me know if there is anything I need to fix or change here. Please enjoy and thanks for reading this story despite the many problems that have been plaguing it due to glitches on the site.

**Sujimis sector, Karazak system, Karazak**

**1**

The darkness was overwhelming and filled with visions of misery that mired the mind of Jedi healer Shul Vaal with unbearable pain. The massive onslaught of torture coursed throughout his body, yet he could not open his eyes to see if he was still alive or if he had been killed and was now in the Netherworld of the Force, where all Force-sensitives were rumored to enter once they had died in the real world.

He was not alone in the darkness, though, and he knew that his companion was alike him in that he could use the Force. Whether his companion held good intentions or not was not aware to Shul and he feared for his life, while he tried to calm himself down with the Force, a task that proved to be almost impossible to do in his condition. The ground underneath his feet was harsh, almost sand-like in its texture, making Shul wonder if he had been taken to some remote world like Blenjeel or Nam Chorios, but he knew that the place he was on was neither of those planets. His knowledge of his ordeal was unknown to him, almost as if he just knew certain details of his predicament because something had sent them to him, perhaps his companion.

Shul could still not open his eyes, nor use the Force to properly figure out just whom was with him, but he could hear the being as he moved across the floor and spoke to him in a voice that seemed akin to a whisper at times, and at other times, a hiss.

_Be aware of your present, Shul Vaal_, the voice said. _You are in danger._

Coughing as he tried to open his mouth to speak, Shul realized that a dried blood stream was on his lips and he unintentionally moistened it with his saliva, causing him to taste the red substance. Disgusted at what had happened, Shul rolled on the floor and spit out his own blood, wishing that he could find some way to end the pain that he felt throughout his body.

Finally, after ridding himself of all the blood in his mouth, Shul spoke: "Where am I? Who are you? What happened to Tiu and the others?"

_You are momentarily safe, but not for long, _the voice whispered. _I cannot keep yourself from your future, and you must face it soon enough. As for who I am…I am a friend, one that is going to make sure you survive this ordeal as quickly as possible. _

"But do you have a name? How can I trust you?"

_I did have a name once, but I forsook it upon realizing my failure, and the failure of my mate when we managed to create something in a way deemed heretical by our people. As to how you can trust me, I cannot say…you must make your own decision on the matter and follow it._

"I don't understand. Why is this happening? Where do I go after this?"

The voice tensed up. _You are going to be enslaved once more, Shul Vaal. Endure through the Force and trust in your allies. I am sending them to you as quickly as possible. Survive the Exultation and you shall arise once more to serve the Galaxy. Farewell. _

"Wait!" Shul cried out. "I need more than that! Come back and ex—!"

**2**

Thrashing about on the floor of a sandy building, Shul realized that Merr-Sonn binder cuffs were inhibiting the movement of his arms and legs, while an electric shock ran through his body from his lekku, causing him to spasm until the energy finished engulfing him. When Shul's pain finally stopped, he ceased all movement, save for his eyes, which he could open once more, and watched as a viewspider monitored his every movement. Puzzled by the presence of a being clearly of Yuuzhan Vong design, Shul searched his memories to see if he had been attacked by rogue Yuuzhan Vong, but he could remember no such thing ever occurring. The only thing that he could remember was being under attack from Galactic Alliance guards and that one of them had grabbed him by the lekku, which had caused him to be easy to render unconscious. The one who was in charge of the people who had attacked him had most likely acquired some Yuuzhan Vong shapers and hired them to do some work for them, which was why the viewspiders were in the room with him and watching his every move.

Easing his eyes away from the viewspiders—which dwelled on the tentacle-vines that it was grown on—Shul looked around to see if Tiu, Malinza, or Zomil were with him, which, to his surprise, none of them were. Surely they had tried to find him, and from there gone off to take him back, but for some reason he was alone in the dark and hot room. More than likely none of his companions had been able to begin a rescue, as the ship had been under attack, and then the Thalassian Slavers and Cavrilhu Pirates had managed to escape him under their control. Now he was being held by whoever was in charge, which might be Three-Eye, but he couldn't know that for sure, as she was more likely to get as far away from a Jedi as possible, due to their past strife with one another.

_At least they are all safe for now, _Shul thought, sighing as he shut his eyes for a moment. _They can find me. Tiu can sense me in the Force, no matter how far apart we are from each other. It looks like my lekku are attached to the shock-filament on the floor. I'm here to stay._

The pain in his body was slowly leaving him, but a new sensation was replacing it, one that involved his inability to sense anything around him. Straining his mind, Shul tried to reach out in the Force and examine his surroundings, but he found himself blocked by some interfering presence, one that could block the Force. Terrified at the concept, Shul found his eyes checking out a section of the room that he had not looked at before, one that held a tree that had a small, furry reptilian on it. It took Shul a while to recall just what type of tree he was looking at, and the moment he did, he almost collapsed from the destructive revelation: That he was in a room with the ysalamiri, Force-blocking creatures from Myrkr that lived on the olbio trees to hide from the vornskr, a canine life form that hunted the ysalamiri through the Force.

"No," he said, doing everything he could to prevent himself from shivering, but he failed, and the shock-filament activated once more, sending a tremendous jolt of energy through his lekku, which caused him to spasm on the floor once more.

When it was finished, he realized that he could still sense some things in the Force, but they were minute at best. For some reason the ysalamiri were not activating their Force bubble that cancelled the Force at all times, and thus he could sense his surroundings somewhat. Shul surmised that this was due to them not feeling threatened by him, as he was chained away from them and could not come near them to harm him, yet they would activate the bubble once the shock-filament activated and he thrashed about in pain.

A door opened in front of him and a Gamorrean guard flanked by a Hutt and a Ramoan with disruptor rifles entered, followed closely by an average-sized Mon Calamari male with a set of piercing black eyes. The Mon Calamari peered first at the viewspider, then the ysalamir, and finally to Shul, who cringed when the salmon colored being examined his body, looking for the signs of something beyond Shul's minor understanding.

"You may leave me alone with him," the Mon Calamari said. "He poses no threat to me. I can handle anything that he tries to use against me."

The Gamorrean muttered something in the guttural tongue of his species and waved his Arg'garok in the air in a threatening tone, while the Ramoan clicked his agreement.

"Your concern for my well-being is noted, and it is also very touching. However, I have more than enough experience with the Jedi to know I can handle this one alone. Now leave."

After exchanging looks with one another, the Hutt, Gamorrean, and Ramoan left them behind, causing Shul to dare to move his body, which, to his surprise, wasn't getting electrocuted this time around, due to some force that had shut it off for now.

"You may sit up now," the Mon Calamari said, crossing his arms in the process.

Placing his hands on the floor, Shul picked himself up off of the floor, and he stared back at the being that he guessed was his current captor.

"You are Jedi Knight Shul Vaal," the Mon Calamari said. "I am Gumbrak Hoxz and I hate the Jedi. You are to be transferred away from him and into the control of friends of mine from Hutt Space who will be more than happy to make sure that scum like you are put to work instead of destroying the shape of the Galaxy for what you want the most."

"That's preposterous!" Shul protested. "The Jedi are guardians of the peace! We would never take over the Galaxy for our own needs!"

"Oh, really? What of Jacen Solo, former hero of the Galactic Alliance and now deceased Sith Lord, who slew millions of innocent beings to control the Galaxy? Or Dolph, whose mind crafted the existence of Kueller and led the entire planet of Almania into further ruin and even now it is not a member of the Galactic Alliance due to what he has done to it? Worse still, what of Anakin Skywalker, who led the Purge of the Jedi through his refusal to accept the realities of the lives we all lead and die, thus bringing the entire Galaxy into ruin? You Jedi are despicable."

"But the Jedi have always fought to protect others. I was saved from captivity by another Jedi and have been taught how to heal others. The Jedi were the ones who saved the Galaxy from the Yuuzhan Vong and countless other threats years ago and now! True, some of us may have turned away from the light, but these are isolated cases!"

"Isolated cases!" Gumbrak roared, as he punched a button that reactivated the shock-filament beneath Shul's body, causing him to once more spasm about in true pain. "Those were not isolated cases! I was maimed by the Jedi when I was fourteen, forced to live in hiding during the Purge, and now, after all my years of waiting, I can finally begin my revenge against you!"

"But I have done nothing to you! Who are you to do this to me? I know that you have been hurt, but we were not responsible for your suffering! It was the Sith! They are the ones that you should be after for what has happened to you!"

"Oh, I have always fought against the Sith, just as I have fought against the Jedi. Neither side is blameless in this fight and all must be exterminated. The Force is an aberration that has corrupted all who bear its power. Who am I, you ask? I am leader of the resurrected Exchange, the one force that will never truly die and I will lead them to kill all who bear the Force!"

Gumbrak balled his fist and smirked, just as a small object in the left corner of the room exploded. Sensing how it had been done, Shul realized that he wasn't the only Force-sensitive in the room.

"How can you speak so poorly of those who wield the Force, when you yourself also hold its power?" Shul asked. "You have such tremendous power! It's amazingly strong!"

Gumbrak eyed him for a moment, his eyes pouring into Shul's mind. "Because the Force wishes to die, and it has granted its powers to me so that I can send it on its way."

Before Shul could make a retort, Gumbrak activated the shock-filament once more, but this time kept it on for a long time, causing Shul to fade into unconsciousness. When he could open his eyes once more, he found himself in the presence of two people, Gumbrak and a tall t'landa Til who stood as if he were royalty, both of whom were looking back at him. Realizing that he was drooling from his mouth, Shul felt the buzzing sensation of a drug within his body, one he was familiar with from his time on Sleheyron: Spice, one that had been refined on the Hutt world of Ylesia recently.

Gumbrak and the t'landa Til were talking with one another, while the t'landa Til had his Iotran and Quarren assistants carry Shul away from them on a stretcher.

"I am so sorry that we could not have met on Kowak or Dubrava, dear Sacredot, but I had pressing matters to attend to here on Karazak," Gumbrak said. "For years I have hired out many of the Karazak Slavers Cooperative to supply you with many of your soon to be initiates into the Exultation. However, some of them were dealing with a competitor of mine—the Sludir called Quintik Kahr who used to work for the Sullustan slaver named Dawn Arkanian and had owned the famous Platt Okeefe—and I had to have them eliminated. It was all that Jazbinan fool Iquar's idea, but I have my suspicions that Iquar was being used by Yanix Dev. You know of him, as you dealt with his insolence during the Yuuzhan Vong occupation of Wukkar."

"It is understandable, my friend," Palazidar said, staring down Shul with malice in his eyes. "It is easier to tame a Velusian fursnake than to make those less than us submit to our rule, is it not, Jedi Vaal of Sleheyron? I hear Ingoda has been looking for you for some time. Perhaps I shall gain the money from that bounty and add it to my already substantial account."

Shul tensed up, but found he couldn't move any further due to his impairment. He wished that he could reach out with the Force and steal his lightsaber away from Gumbrak, who held the device on his side, and smirked when Shul glanced at it.

"Along with the spice, you are being integrated in other ways," Palazidar said, standing next to Shul with a smile on his face. "Can you sense it, little Jedi? The Exultation? Very few beings are capable of breaking off its powers, and I have never known a Twi'lek to fight off its affects, let alone any humanoid species. Those that can we indoctrinate in other ways. It is time for you to come with me, little Jedi. The wondrous world of Ylesia awaits you now."

"But why?" Shul managed to let out, even thought the strain hurt him when he spoke. "I don't understand any of this. I won't be a slave anymore. Please let me go."

Palazidar laughed mightily, while his four feet pounded on the ground with swift banging noises that sent chills down Shul's spine. "Let you go? That's rich. I should trade you in for my Kowakian monkey-lizard if this is how you do comedy routines, little Jedi!"

Trying to speak once more, Shul was hit over the head by the t'landa Til Sacredot, and entered an unconscious state, one he would not wake up from before he came to Ylesia, by way of Pzob, where he would learn of the lies that he had been told by his captors, lies that could cost the lives of the very people searching for him.

A/N: Chapter 8 will return to Lehon, where Ken will talk with Tash and Zak about their role in the story, and will be written fairly soon. In the next chapter, though, someone dies, and everything changes. Until next time...


	9. Chapter 8

A/N: Sorry about the lateness of this chapter. It turned out to be a whole lot longer than I expected, which is a good thing, because I enjoyed writing it. As some of you know, I was also at the beach this weekend without internet access, so that also impeded my writing, but now it's here, so that's that. Now to answer some questions from e-mails I've been getting.

**Blastermaster asks: Man, you mention a lot of _Star Wars_ stuff, so much that I have to look it all up to see if it's your original idea or something already in canon. Do you know all of this from memory, or do you look them up?**

Well, Blastermaster, I wish I could say that I knew all of this by memory, but the vast majority of the information I use comes from Wookieepedia, which I absolutely love to use to make sure that I get all of my facts straight. _The Essential Atlas_ also provides a lot of help for me, especially when I'm trying to figure out which planets are near other planets and where something is in the Galaxy. I would definitely recommend people get that to read, it was a lot of fun. However, I do have a vast knowledge of _Star Wars_ lore, so some of what I write is from stuff I have read previously.

**Naruto & Co. asks: Where'd you get the idea for this? Are all of these characters in the DP canon or did you make some of them up?**

I first got the idea for this while I was surfing Wookieepedia and came across the article for Shul Vaal. As I was reading up on him, I knew that he would most likely end up like thousands of other _Star Wars_ characters from the past and be used once, forgotten, and remembered only by people who use the random search function on Wookieepedia. I figured that all of these characters were out there just waiting for someone to write about them and take the cap off of their untapped potential. Every single character

I also have a really bad history with writing Mary Sue characters when it came to _Star Wars_, the most intimidating being Nathaniel Kenobi Solo Clan Fett, who I have named myself after here on the Almighty Internet. My reason for doing so being that I believe that those who don't study the past will end up repeating it. In the process of getting the ideas for this fan-fic, I was looking at some pages on TVTropes that discussed Ken from the _Jedi Prince_ series being a Marty Sue character, which I kind of agree to. I have fond memories of the series when I read it as a kid, so I set out to make Ken into a character who is real and believable, without his Sue-ish characteristics. Hopefully I've done a good job so far. Your mileage may vary, though.

**Hungry-Chick asks: Are you planning on using Ken's background as a member of the Elegin House in this fan-fic? I really like that idea, as it was kinda stupid that they made him a Prince without really explaining it fully.  
**

Not at this moment in time, but if I do write a sequel, then this will definitely be a major factor there. **  
**

XXXX

Thanks for the questions, everyone, and please don't be afraid of sending them to me. Please let me know if there is anything that I need to change or edit here. Thanks in advance.

Chapter 8

**Lehon system, Lehon**

**1**

"Prepare to land, Dancer," Ken Elegin said, as he moved closer to the area where Tash and Zak Arranda were waiting for him.

Mixed feelings arose in Ken's heart, mostly because of his joyfulness at getting to see two very old and dear friends and because of the danger they were sure to be in. He knew that Tash might be easier to convince of his reasons for coming back there and that Zak would try to make sure that Ken wasn't just using the vision as an excuse to get back with his sister. He could not blame Zak for being defensive, even though Tash and he had ended their relationship on a good note. The two of them had been through a lot together, and they were very attached to one another, and not in the way that some misbegotten beings claimed they did.

Dancer brought the StealthX down to the sandy regions near where the Arrandas dig site, and Ken took off his pilot's helmet, just as the canopy opened and the step ladder descended. A message from Dancer told Ken that the tide of the water was far enough away to do little damage to the ship and that the rust would not harm the starfighter at all, so long as it was taken away in a short week at the least. Thanking Dancer and releasing the R5 astromech droid from the droid's external socket, Ken walked down the step ladder and sought out his future companions with the Force, making sure that they were the only two sentient beings near him, just to prepare them in case the Mandalorians had returned to menace them once again. To his joy, he found that they were indeed alone, save for a lone rancor that was too busy killing a large pack animal to bother being worrying about them at all.

Stepping down onto the sand, Ken felt the soft substance beneath his feet and smiled, as it had been a long time since he had set foot on a tropical island, let alone one filled with such rich beauty. As far as he knew the last beach he had been too had been on Naboo or Jomark, where he had investigated a holocron that had supposedly been created by the mad clone of Jedi Master Jorus C'baoth that was called Joruus C'baoth in order to designate his identity as a clone. When he arrived there, however, it turned out to be nothing more than a scam perpetrated by a member of the Nautolan race called Cynner, who he had brought into Galactic Alliance custody, but he had also escaped and later joined up with famed lawyer Lestra Oxic during the time when a pilot named Tobb Jadak had information on a treasure that had proved to be worthless in the end.

To his right, Ken saw Tash and Zak walking toward him, and he waved at them, and then received mixed signals from them through the Force, causing him to frown inwardly. Zak had his newly-developed look of concern embroidered on his face, while Tash's face was offering a mild form of excitement and curiosity. Tash was moving noticeably faster than her brother, who was plodding along without much speed in his progress. Moving to them, Ken met Tash first and the two stared at one another for a moment, as an immense silence passed while the waves hit the old shores of the island they were on.

"I missed you, Ken," Tash said, looking into his eyes.

"I missed you too, Tash," Ken said, returning the favor as the two embraced for a short time, while Zak finally reached them and waited for them to break off the hug.

Ken moved backward first and said, "I wish I were coming under better terms, you two."

"Oh, really?" Zak asked, crossing his arms. "You mean you're not here just because you thought it'd be a good idea to chat? I'm shocked. Let me guess, there's something that only the three of us can do and you thought it was a good idea to get us all back together for a fun time?"

Ken frowned. "I wish it was because I wanted to be with you again, but that's not true," he said. "Something is happening, and yes, Zak, we're needed to stop it."

"What kind of threat?" Tash asked, concern barely showing on her face.

"Couldn't have anything to do with Mandalorians, now, could it?" Zak quipped.

"Not that I recall," Ken said, trying to remember if the vision had shown him anything that dealt with the Mandalorians. "But it would appear that they are indeed involved somehow."

"Well let's not just stand here doing nothing about it," Tash said, waving them back over to the camp site.

Following her, Ken and Zak exchanged short glances with each other and then walked to the camp site, where several chairs were placed. Tash sat down first, while Ken sat on the side next to her, and Zak remained standing. Dancer followed after Ken and remained by his left side.

"Now, tell us everything you know, Ken and what it has to do with us," Tash said.

Ken nodded. "Earlier I was meditating in the Temple when I was taken away from it by a being that I can barely describe to you. I could tell that he was benevolent, but that he was hiding something from me, for reasons beyond my knowledge. In this vision he sent, he told me that I had to go out and find help from various sources, and that we would fight something together. If it was what I saw, then I have a bad feeling about this."

"What did you see, Ken?" Zak asked, his interest piqued.

"An enormous creature that was consuming Coruscant, and killing countless millions of beings, while the Jedi were either killed or eaten as it began an onslaught impossible to describe. It was…terrifying to watch it destroy everyone in its path. It had serpentine characteristics, but it wasn't fully reptilian, almost as if it had been corrupted from its original form to become some form totally alien from itself. Sith alchemy, perhaps? I don't know what it was, but I never want to see it again as long as I live."

"Well, Ken, if the vision was warning you about it and telling you to gather people, then I'm afraid that that is exactly what we're going to do," Tash said, sighing.

"We?" Zak repeated, as he furled an eyebrow. "Since when did we agree to do this? We have work to do here, remember, sis? The whole reason we came here was to uncover proof that the Star Forge was inactive, and we did that, so now it's time to go back home to Chandrila. The sooner the better, seeing as we have a bunch of Mandalorians ready to tear us apart here."

Tash looked over at her brother and showed the smallest sign of a glare. "Zak, didn't we learn the hard way on Kerest that Force visions needed to be listened to?"

"Oh, come on, Tash. You saw me getting beaten up by a bunch of Kerestian and Xamster hoodlums because I said something derogatory about Xagobah and Kerest, respectively. That's not a Force vision; that was a foregone conclusion."

"Oh, really? Then how about on that moon of Qoribu—Jwlio, I think—where I saw the Taat trying to kill us, and this time we'd done nothing wrong to them, yet you still insisted that we could land there without trouble? Then, once we were there, lo and behold, the vision was right? Skepticism is good when you're trying to decide whether the Toydarian merchant that's trying to sell you an amulet that supposedly belonged to Jori Daragon or if he just bought it at some cheap mining facility on Subterrel and wants to make a couple credits off a gullible idiot that doesn't know any better. However, when it comes to the Force, skepticism is the last thing you need to have on your mind."

Zak rolled his eyes. "Oh sure, that makes perfect sense. Ken, how often would you say that you have visions?"

Ken considered it for a moment, saying, "I haven't had one like this in twenty years."

"And what were the circumstances of that vision?"

"I saw a Jedi dying in the Outer Rim. It turned out that the Jedi in question was Miko Reglia, who died on Helska 4."

Tash and Zak exchanged glances.

"Fine," Zak said, "let's say for now you've temporarily convinced me, so now what?"

"Well, I…" Ken started, but paused, not having a clue what they were supposed to do now that he had convinced them to join him. "I don't know yet."

"What do you mean you don't know?" Tash asked.

"It's just that I don't…"

Tash and Zak watched as Ken paused once more, only now he wasn't paying attention to anything and was staring off into the sky.

"Pzob," he said after a moment's wait. "We have to go to Pzob."

"Pzob?" Zak repeated. "What are we going to find on that poor excuse for a backwater planet, Ken? Oh, wait a second, let me guess: You don't know that either."

"What happened to you?" Tash asked, scanning Ken's expressions to figure out just what had happened to him a moment ago.

"I don't know," Ken said. "All I knew was that I had the answer."

"And all I know is that I want to get the hell out of here," Zak said. "I love talking to the both of you, but I'm a bit worried about all the Mandalorians that are still waiting out there for us, and you two seem to have conveniently forgotten that fact."

He moved away from them and shook his head, mumbling something under his breath.

"We don't have the weapons to fight them off efficiently enough, little brother," Tash said.

"I know," Zak said, looking over at the StealthX, "and that is why I'm making sure that it can make sure we stay safe. What's the droid's name?"

Ken, realizing the question was directed at him, said, "Dancer."

Zak laughed. "No, really, what's the droid's name?"

"It's…really Dancer."

Zak continued to laugh as he walked over to Dancer. "Alright, little Dancer, let's go out to that ship and prep it for battle."

As the two left, Ken looked over at Tash, who was suppressing a laugh. "Quite a distinct feminine name you gave it I see."

"I didn't name the droid, I just borrowed it."

"Oh, then who named it?"

"Master Mara. It was during the Yuuzhan Vong War, so this little droid's seen a lot of action in her time. Unfortunately she outlasted Master Mara."

Tash nodded. "I never knew her well, but Luke always thought well of her. I was sad to hear that she had died…and at Jacen's hands. I almost couldn't believe it had happened."

"The dark side can change anyone, Tash. For some people it takes a lifetime to develop, and for others it can be just _one_ bad moment in time. It's what Grand Master Skywalker used to tell me all the time. He was so happy to see me finally become a true Master of the Order."

"Oh, that's right; I really should be calling you Master Elegin, shouldn't I?"

Ken laughed. "Honestly, I could care less about titles, Senior Anthropologist Arranda."

"And now you're just teasing me," she said, laughing as well. "You're almost as bad as Zak is with that. I'm sorry about his behavior, by the way. You know him…he just doesn't have such great feelings with the Force. Not to say he won't use it, but he prefers using the normal approach when it comes to the problems we have to go up against."

"Don't apologize for him, Tash. It's who he is, and I would never make him change a thing. Zak's a stubborn fool, but he's got a good heart and a sharp mind. Honestly, I'd be very scared if he had just accepted everything I said to you two up front; instead of questioning me to make sure I was telling the truth. It's an attitude like that that's helped him throughout the years. If anything he kept a clearer mind than the both of us, seeing as we still do have to worry about a bunch of Mandalorians out there waiting for us."

"I don't understand that at all," Tash said. "What have we ever done to get their _osik _all in a bunch? We've never really seen any Mandalorians in years. I mean, we saw Boba Fett that time we found Master Yoda on Dagobah."

"Then I suppose—"

A violent explosion filled their ears and they felt death in the Force.

**2**

The StealthX was an impressive vessel, one that had been perfected by the top engineers among the Jedi, Chiss, and Galactic Alliance. Four laser cannons were mounted on its front side, as well as two proton torpedo launchers. Normally the launchers had Jedi shadow bombs inside of them, or proton torpedoes that without the guidance package and the propellant fuel taken out of it, in order to cause it to cast no light and give away its position in space. The bomb would be propelled by Jedi using the Force, thus giving them a tactical advantage of other combatants, a tactic that had proved largely successful during the Yuuzhan Vong War.

Zak had worked on them several times before, and had even piloted them during the small time that Tash and he had served the Jedi in the last days of the Yuuzhan Vong War. They had tried to stay away from the War at all costs in the first years, much to the displeasure of Jedi Master Kyp Durron, who had tried to persuade them to join them to fight off the Yuuzhan Vong. However, like many Force-sensitives at the time, Tash and Zak had stayed away from going on the offensive, a fact that haunted them years later as the death tolls piled up. Losing Coruscant in the third year of the War had been the last thing they needed to convince them to join up. As the Jedi and the then New Republic were in disarray, it had been difficult to find a place to join and they had dwelled on Denon at first, knowing it would be safe. Later, they had joined the great Jedi Force meld at Ebaq 9, which led to a crushing Yuuzhan Vong defeat and the death of their Warmaster Tsavong Lah. From then on, they had served as pilots, fighting across the Galaxy above the worlds of Kashyyyk and Seltos, ending their excursion in defending Zonama Sekot against the vast majority of the Yuuzhan Vong's fleet, leading to the final battle of the War and a chance for them to return to their old life.

Zak shook his head as Dancer returned to her external socket and began issuing any of the improvements that Zak had told her to perform. He wished that he had handled his talk with Ken a little better and that he hadn't been so aggressive in his questioning. He liked Ken, and had always listened to his ideas when he offered them. Sometimes Ken was wrong and other times he was right, but the one thing Zak could never doubt was his sincerity. If there was something out there that they had to worry about, then by the Force Zak would go out and make sure that he had his say in the matter. If Tash agreed with Ken and went with him, then Zak would follow and keep her safe.

Zak felt a presence in the Force and paused, not willing to look around, just in case the presence was watching him. Closing his eyes, he stretched out his feelings, and found that the originator of the presence was human, and was looking at him near a group of gizka that were all busy devouring the corpse of a beast that resembled the wulkarsk of Joralla and—as his guide to the planet had said when he'd studied it earlier in the day—was called the blegarin. The human that was watching him had a weapon with him—several weapons if Zak's senses were correct—and it felt like a sniper rifle.

Taking out his Verpine droid disintegrator, Zak lifted it up to fire off his own shot that was attuned with his Force sense, but, right before he could shoot his weapon, a small detonator carrying an adhesive grenade landed on his chest and exploded into a large, concentrated sticky substance that held him in place. Using the Force to levitate his lightsaber away from the gummy adhesive, Zak slashed parts of it from his body, causing the purple blade to get some of his body free from the glue. Taking his lightsaber back in his hand, Zak realized too late that the human had fired off something else that also stuck to him, but this time it had a mini-timer on it.

Sending his fear through the Force, Zak yelled as the thermal detonator exploded on his chest, destroyed the StealthX and Dancer, and ended his life.

**3**

Ram Zerimar had not wanted to shoot the Jedi with the adhesive grenade, let alone with his thermal detonator, as he wished to interrogate him first, in order to discern if what Durrei had told him was true. As much as he wanted to believe that he had not been fooled by his benefactor in this case, Ram could not do anything without finding out for himself if what he had been told was indeed true. The earlier attack on the Arrandas had been a mistake, one made out of his own youthful desires. Although he was trusted enough by his fellow Mandalorians to make decisions by himself, even Boba Fett had told Ram that twenty-eight years of life was not good enough in some beings, and that—in Ram's case—he had to grow up more to make better decisions. As he had been devoted to his Mandalore, Ram had listened to him, but now he found that he had failed to heed his former leader's words well.

He had promised his fellow Protectors that he would handle the Jedi, and the plan that he had formed was designed around talking to them with support ready to rally behind him just in case he got into trouble. In his study of his targets, Ram had found that the Arrandas were very compassionate people, who always looked out for the betterment of others. Finding out that they were involved with illicit members of the Empire was so out-of-character that it made little sense to him at all, even with the evidence he had been presented. Even the mysterious Jedi that had attacked his Protectors earlier had not wanted to kill them, and had done everything in his power to disable their ability to fight.

None of what was happening made sense, especially his killing of the young Jedi.

Something had taken control of Ram's mind and pulled the trigger for him, causing the first grenade to glue Zak Arranda to the sand, which had come as a surprise to the both of them. Before Ram could react to this incident, he had watched Zak break out of his bonds, only to be killed by a thermal detonator that he had fired, once again without the intention to do so.

Whatever it was that had taken a hold of his mind was gone now, replaced with a fury of his own design, born of his hatred of being weak-minded enough to be influenced in such a way that his basic principles had been tossed aside to commit cold-blooded murder. He was ashamed of his weakness, so much that he didn't realize he wasn't alone anymore.

"We're here, sir," a lean human Mandalorian clad in golden armor said. "We received your distress call and came as fast as we could."

"Distress call?" Ram said, unable to understand what his subordinate had said to him.

"It's okay, sir. We'll take care of it now. You're obviously wounded. We'll kill the Jedi per your orders and then patch you up."

"What are you talking about? I ordered no such thing! Come back here!"

But none of them listened to him, almost as if their hearing had been forced to listen to everything but him. Ram looked down at his body to see what they were talking about, yet saw no noticeable wounds or cuts. He did not like what was happening there one bit.

Looking around, Ram found a small figure watching him from afar and wearing a grin that sent chills down his spine. The figure was tall, wearing black robes, and appeared to be a Zabrak, but he couldn't tell for sure. The moment that the figure noticed his gaze, though, he disappeared into the darkness, leaving Ram alone.

Curious as to who the figure was, Ram tried to scan for it with his visor's equipment, but he found it blocked by some strange device as mysterious as his pursuer. He could hear the shots fired by his soldiers against the Jedi, who seemed to be fighting back valiantly, but he could not be sure about that, as his mind was slowly succumbing to a dizzy spell, even though he felt as if he were perfectly healthy.

Unable to fight off the unnatural feeling, Ram collapsed right into unconsciousness, as his Mandalorian Protectors fought back against the remaining Jedi, and a Yuuzhan Vong vessel entered Lehon's atmosphere and come close to his position.

**4**

"Zak!" Tash cried out the moment Ken and she witnessed her younger brother's violent death. "NOOOOO!"

Ken rose up from his chair the moment that he felt Zak's demise and ignited his emerald lightsaber, ready to defend Tash from whoever had killed her brother. He felt her ignited her own lightsaber, but also detected rage within her heart, something he couldn't blame her for. He was unable to know what he felt about Zak's death right now, as his mind was more focused on going out and making sure that his killers were brought to justice, but a small part of him knew that he was losing the normal serenity he commanded on the battlefield.

A group of Mandalorian Protectors came near them, firing varied blaster shots from all sides and forcing them to deflect them with their lightsabers. Ken noticed that Tash's swings were more erratic as she swung the blade around, so he dashed over to her and helped her out, feeling an intense and barely contained anger as he did so.

A Mandallian Giant Mandalorian soldier came near him and Ken pushed him back with the Force, accidentally causing the soldier to die when he collided with the lone Calibop in the area, who activated a thermal detonator that killed them both in a massive explosion that sent two Mandalorians clad in green armor to hit a lone palm tree. Another barrage of blaster fire forced Ken to momentarily forget about the deaths that he had caused and he brought out his lightsaber in a position that managed to block the bolts of energy and then redirect them to the guns, providing a proper angle to dispose of two RMF-31 Repeating blaster cannons.

A sudden surge of electrical energy behind him caused Ken to think that their foes had gained Geonosian Elite Beam Weapons, but, when he turned around, he saw what it was coming from: Tash's fingertips.

"You monsters killed my brother!" she roared, discharging another wave of blue Force lightning that charred an elderly human Mandalorian to death. "Die!"

"Tash!" Ken called out to her, while avoiding stray blaster fire. "Stop!"

Tash either didn't hear or didn't care about what he had said, because she proceeded to electrocute a Togorian Mandalorian, and then flung him near a passing rancor, which had been watching the battle with mild interest. The Togorian, unable to protect himself, was devoured by the rancor, while the others heard his dying screams until at last he was eaten.

Focusing his presence in the Force, Ken built up the kinetic energy around him and sped over to Tash, swiping her lightsaber away from her in time to save the life of a young Mantellian Savrip whose arm she had cut off. Unprepared for his theft, Tash watched as Ken pulled himself into a Jar'Kai stance, a form he rarely used or practiced due to its dependence on the user having the ability to be ambidextrous, while he still remained predominantly right-handed. Noticing the change in his tactics, the Mandalorians fired at him, but deflected everything they threw at him, disabling their armor with redirected blaster shots without killing any of them, while others hid behind the rock formations near them to avoid his precise redirections.

"Give it back to me!" Tash cried out. "Let me kill every last one of them!"

"Shut up, Tash!" Ken yelled, as he dared look back at her during the small lull in the midst of the battle.

Hearing his ultimatum, Tash paused and stared at him, awaiting his next move.

"Calm down and help me out here!" Ken shouted. "Zak wouldn't want you to be like this, Tash! Don't succumb to the dark side!"

Ken watched her as he used the Force to scan the remaining Mandalorians, who were all watching him talk to Tash, as if they were wondering what sort of scam they were making up and trying to figure out a way to outmaneuver them. Tash glared at Ken and he felt a buildup of negative emotions come from her, so he tried to counteract them with what serenity he could find within himself, which barely did anything to calm her down.

"Fine," Tash said. "Give it to me and we'll do this the right way. For now."

Ken grimaced, felt the mild sincerity inside of her voice, and then begrudgingly handed the lightsaber back to her, as Tash ignited it and stared at him.

"Don't ever do that to me again," Tash said, as she moved beside Ken and prepared to fight once more.

Sighing, Ken watched as her eyes moved over to her brother's corpse, which was barely recognizable anymore.

"This is Cham Detta of the Mandalorian Protectors," a voice called out from behind one of the rock formations. "You are asked to surrender your weapons now and face justice for your actions in dealing illegal arms to the Imperials."

"We did what?" Tash asked. "We would never deal with that scum of an Empire! Is that why you killed my brother you soulless monsters?"

"Calm down, Tash," Ken said, as he held her left shoulder. "I'll handle this."

Moving out in front of her, Ken examined his surroundings, finding that the lower ground that they were on would not help them much longer. The only reason that they had lasted so long was because of their training and skills, but that would be irrelevant, as the Mandalorians were all moving to encircle them, thus cutting of their escape and leaving them open to attacks on all sides of them.

"I am Jedi Master Ken Elegin of Kessel," Ken said, shutting off his lightsaber for now, but keeping his fingers ready to turn it back on. "I ask what proof you have that my companions dealt with the Imperials, a group of people that they have always been enemies of."

"Our proof is our own, Jedi," Cham said. "Now stand down and put your weapons on the ground or we shall be forced to kill you."

Ken held his lightsaber in front of him and sighed, as he felt the approached of someone else with Force-sensitivity come near them from the atmosphere. "Then so be it."

Igniting the lightsaber, Ken deflected the shots fired from his left and right side, while he whirled around and flung a loose boulder at a Mandalorian, sending him into a rock formation and knocking him out. Tash, meanwhile, had sent her lightsaber into the Su technique, which brought the lightsaber into a wavelike manner that blocked anything in its path. Her movements were still sporadic, the price of her mental state and lack of true training with the blade, but the technique did enough work to protect herself so that she could fight them back efficiently.

Ken avoided a rogue blast from an Utapaun bident, and then moved to his side to send back a blaster shot from a repeating rifle.

_There's got to be a better way to do this, _he thought. _I don't want to kill them and we have to find a way to figure out why they think Tash and Zak were working with the Imperials. Obviously someone's setting the both of us up…but why? Could it be they know of my vision and want to stop us from completing whatever it is that we are meant to do? I haven't told anyone, save for Master Katarn, and he would never divulge that information freely, and no torture could ever seize that from him. So what does that leave me with? Who could know of this?_

"Tash!" Ken called out. "Draw their fire; I've got a plan!"

"Fine!" she shouted back. "Just be quick about it!"

Force jumping over to a small mesa, Ken focused himself in the Force, and started to find the air current around him, which were merely a mild breeze at the time. Feeling the currents as they became one with him, Ken guided his right arm around in a sweeping motion, causing the winds to pick up, and repeated the process once more, this time eliciting a mild gale. Focusing even harder on his task, Ken brought other wind currents into his vortex, ready to craft a giant Force whirlwind capable of killing anyone in its vicinity if he was not careful in its execution. Tash seemed to pick up on what he was doing and managed to gather more of the fire into her direction, barely avoiding the shots as they either passed by her or were deflected by the firm blows of her lightsaber.

Moving both of his hands around now, Ken managed to successfully start the whirlwind, and then picked up the Mandalorian soldiers from their hiding spots with the powerful winds he had made. Some tried in vain to attach themselves to the palm trees near them, but their efforts were for naught, and they all ended up inside of the whirlwind, save for Tash, who had jumped over to Ken and pushed down her presence to fasten herself to the ground. Swirling the soldiers in the air, Ken brought them all together and tried to take away all of their weapons, depositing the devices an adult exogorth's length away, and brought the Mandalorians down hard onto the soil, causing them to have minor vertigo issues.

Jumping back to them, Ken and Tash stood in front of the Mandalorians, waiting for them to stand up. When they all did, Tash started to jump after them with her lightsaber, but her approached was blocked by Ken, who grabbed her by her arm and pushed her back.

"Stand down for now, Tash," he said, firmly. "We'll make sure they get punished for what they did to Zak, but for right now we need them alive to figure out who's out there and why they hired a bunch of Mandalorians to kill you two."

Tash made a small grunt, but relented, and stood back from the Mandalorians.

Ken, amazed that he had managed to quell her rage for now, stepped over to his downed foes and asked, "Who hired you to kill the Arrandas and why?"

"You'll get no answer from us, scum," said a Twi'lek Mandalorian. "It's people like you who keep bringing this Galaxy into war."

"But we're not. That's exactly why I'm here, because I wanted to take the Arrandas and fight off a threat that could plunge the Galaxy into darkness."

"Oh, really? From what we've seen, it looks more like you were going to recruit them for your plans to do just that to us mere mortals."

Ken felt a presence in the Force searching for him, but he ignored it for now, ready to find as much information from his captives as he could. "How did you find this 'evidence' of yours that implicates the Arrandas in selling illegal weapons? Who told you this?"

"I'd much rather show you," the Twi'lek said, as he and the other Mandalorians brought out several side arms to fire at them.

Ken's danger sense activated the moment he saw several of the Mandalorians bring out the weapons that had been concealed in their armor and activated his lightsaber, just as a ball of magma landed on top of them and annihilated all of them. Looking up into the sky, he found a lone coralskipper in the skies, as it flew around them and fired off a round at the _Belarus_-class _Loyal Defender_, incinerating it into a burning hulk due to the ship's shields being down.

Staring up at the coralskipper, Ken heard a familiar voice send a message into his mind through the Force, _Hello, Master Elegin. I am Danni Quee, former trainee of the Order and now fulltime resident of Zonama Sekot. I am here with my husband, Kunra, who is piloting the ship as we speak. We were sent here by Sekot to help you with your mission. _

_Hello, Danni, _Ken sent. _It's great to hear from you again…although I wish it were under better circumstances._

_I don't understand. Did we not save you from being killed?_

_You did that quite admirably, but not in time to save all of us. I'll explain once you land here. Right now I have to make sure someone doesn't abuse their powers once more._

Cutting off the mental connection, Ken looked over to where Tash had been a moment before, but found her gone. Scanning his surroundings, he noticed that she was running over to where the remains of both his StealthX and Zak Arranda's body were. Clutching the shattered corpse of her brother, Tash Arranda sent out a massive wail that reverberated through the Force and caused Ken to hang down his head in shame.

Turning to his right, Ken walked over to a nearby rock formation and stared at it for a moment. Recalling the earlier moments when Zak had still been alive, Ken built up an intense energy and smashed his hand through the rock, causing the entire structure to fall down on itself as he cursed himself for not being strong enough to save his friend.

As the coralskipper that carried Danni Quee and Kunra landed, Ken made an oath that he would never let anyone near him die if he could prevent it again, an oath he knew he could never hope to make a reality.

**5**

Looking at the scene unfold from his ship—the _Tempest_—based on the designs of the old Sith Infiltrators created by the mad genius ship designer Raith Sienar for the former apprentice of Emperor Palpatine known to the Galaxy as Darth Maul, Ylairo Iteu laughed.

Assigned to make sure that all had gone according to his Master's plans on Lehon, Ylairo had manipulated the Mandalorians into following a false message of Ram's and had even caused the sniper to lose control of his mind, allowing him to kill Zak Arranda without even getting out and physically involving himself at all.

His hologram projector, and the cowled form of his Master appeared, asking, "How goes the operation, my apprentice?"

"Tremendous, my Master," Ylairo said. "None of them suspect that I had anything to do with what transpired here, and, even better, Zak Arranda is dead."

"Very good, very good. Now, what of the other Jedi? Have you disposed of them as well? Perhaps you are torturing them for information as we speak?"

Ylairo frowned. "I am sorry, Master, but I could not perform that task. During the fight between the Jedi and Mandalorians, a Yuuzhan Vong vessel arrived and killed the Mandalorian forces, apparently allied with the Jedi. If I were to engage now, then all would be lost."

The holographic figure of Ylairo's Master paused for a moment. "Understood. Leave now and await further instruction from me. I shall contact you soon."

"Yes, my Master."

Cutting off the link, Ylairo activated his ship and left Lehon, sending in coordinates to enter Zaddja, where his Master had set up one of his many secret bases, ready to begin the path to wipe the Jedi from existence for what they had done to him and his family years ago.

A/N: The next chapter should be started on by Wednesday, and might be finished there as well. In there we'll get back to what Malinza, Tiu, and Zomil have been up to since we last saw them. Until next time...


	10. Chapter 9

A/N: Well, it seems that this one took much longer than I expected, which I kinda like, given what I added to my original designs to this. Please let me know if there is anything that I need to change or fix. Thanks in advance.

Chapter 9

**Hyperspace, near Phaeda, en route to Iridium**

**1**

Malinza Thanas remained by Tiu Zax's side as she rested in the medical room of the _Hindsight_. Tired from the recent battle and angered at how easily they had fallen into the trap created by Three-Eye's minions, Malinza had almost fallen asleep several times since the fight, but had caught herself every time, not willing to go to sleep until she could explain what was going on to Tiu.

Zomil, meanwhile, was busy repairing the systems on the ship that had been damaged by the Thalassian Slavers and Cavrilhu Pirates. He had cared for Tiu's injuries while she slept, and while Malinza had tracked the destination of the ships owned by Three-Eye to Iridium, in the Atrivis sector.

The holographic avatar of the Ryn known as Droma watched as Malinza tried to stay awake and said, "Captain Thanas, if we are to maintain this conversation, I suggest that you go and take some adrenal stimulant right now. You need to be prepared if you are to fight off the ones that I am sending you to right now."

Malinza nodded and rubbed her eyes. "Not yet, though," she said. "I need to take it at the exact moment it will work the best. Now what can you tell me about Lilmit and his ship?"

Droma sighed. "And I thought that Han Solo was stubborn." He rolled his eyes. "Lilmit possesses a smaller version of a ship designed after the _Scimitar_-class frigate that was used by the Maw Irregular Fleet. They are meeting you for a supply of ion cannon components that they are planning to use for Three-Eye's base on Iridium. It also houses a cargo bay large enough to support the _Hindsight_, and a lot of specialized weapons that should be more than enough to assist in the rescue of Shul Vaal…that is if you can get the Jedi or Galactic Alliance to help you out."

"Oh, I took care of that. I contacted the Jedi first and told them the bad news, but they all gave me the classic 'We can't possibly spare any more Jedi to assist in this' and the always great to hear, 'May the Force be with you.' So no help there, but the Alliance was a different matter. For them all I had to say was that a rogue Jedi had joined up with Three-Eye and that he was out there planning to become the next Caedus. They bought it, so now I've got a small fleet that's on its way to Iridium to help us out, but they're not going to be happy to find out that I lied to them, but screw them. If they were any bit effective they would have helped regardless of the situation that we're about to deal with."

Droma's yammosk avatar moved several of its tentacles to indicate apprehension, but the sudden movement stopped moments later. "I find it sad that the Galactic Alliance would act in such a way to the Jedi, especially after all that they have done for the Galaxy. Then again, my own people have done them a great service, and they dare to incorporate our Network into their own Galactic Alliance Intelligence. Bah, as if they could understand how we operate, but it is good to see you will not be doing this alone."

"I really appreciate your help, Droma. I know we haven't met, and I understand that as the leader of the Network, it is impossible for you to be seen, but I wish that we had. It's beings like you that deserve all of the credit for the little things you do to keep us safe."

"If we sought recognition, Captain, then we would not be of the Ryn. However, as we do offer information, it pales in comparison to the actual work you do for us by listening to all of our instructions. I wish you good luck on your trip to meet Lilmit. He should prove to be of no problem to you."

"Understood," Malinza said. "Thanks again."

"Droma out."

With that, the holographic avatar faded away and left Malinza with the still unconscious form of Tiu, who was breathing intermittently.

Rubbing her temples, Malinza let out a sigh, just as Zomil entered the room, garbed in a cloak designed to hide his features and present him as a member of the Dashade species. While the vast majority of the species had died years ago when their homeworld, Urkupp, had been destroyed the area around the planet and created the Cron Drift. The few Dashade that were all lucky enough to be off-planet at the time had settled in what had been the Unknown Regions at the time—but was now part of the Imperial Remnant—on such worlds as Tikath, Fegorosk IV, and Smarck. Due to his obviously mammalian appearance, Zomil was also wearing a hologram inducer that would be able to portray him as a proper Dashade just in case his cloak was taken off by their enemies. Zomil would use Ket Maliss as a codename, which none of the beings they would meet would try to check on, as Ket was a famous assassin that had worked with the dread Black Sun organization, and had only failed once in his life to kill one of his targets. No one in the Galaxy knew where Ket was now, as he had departed from the public scene following Prince Xizor's death three years after the Battle of Yavin. Some said that he had retired to some out of the way world like Agamar, where reports had come up of his fighting off the Yuuzhan Vong and rallying the people behind him, or on Danton VI, where he had annihilated a single Imperial base by himself, freeing the planet from their dominance sometime after the Battle of Moorja.

Malinza would also be portraying a member of a different species, this time as a Zeltron called Lissahl, a famous cafarel who had escaped slavery under the Annoo-dat crime lord called Sise Fromm. Following her escape from Sise, Lissahl had become a pirate, using her feminine guile and natural pheromones to ensnare male beings to give her what she wanted, and she had managed several deals with Lilmit before, making her the perfect one to portray to gain his trust. She had already placed the makeup and enhancements on herself and she had to admit that she liked the change in her appearance, but was also glad that it was temporary. Zeltron woman had a hard time getting treated as equals among other races due to their promiscuous nature.

"Is Tiu getting better?" Durrei asked.

Malinza shrugged. "She's been through a lot, but Jedi can take a lot. She'll be fine, but we have to get that ship first. Three-Eye knows our transponder codes, so there's no way in Chaos she's going to let us just waltz right in there."

"Lilmit has hailed us. Patch it through?"

"Yes."

Exiting the medical room, Malinza and Zomil walked over to the cockpit and answered Lilmit's hail.

"Lissahl, you magnificent woman, what took you so long to contact me again?" Lilmit's voice chimed from the communication port.

Malinza smiled, glad that they weren't able to see each other yet. "Sorry, honey, but it's been a rough couple of weeks. Alliance is on my _shebs _for sneaking weapons into Atzerri, but I managed to escape and laid low on Kuar for a while to make sure they couldn't find me. That was where I met my new partner. You might recognize his name, seeing as you used to work for one form of the Black Sun."

"You intrigue me, Lissahl. Who is this being?"

"Ket Maliss at your service, Captain Lilmit," Zomil said, grinning, even though he knew that Lilmit couldn't see him.

"The Ket Maliss? I cannot believe it. This I must see for myself."

"Then get ready for a big surprise, honey, because we're docking now," Malinza said.

"I await your arrival."

Clicking the comm. off, Malinza smiled at Zomil and said, "Good thing that Droma got us those profiles or Lilmit might have gotten suspicious had I not said 'honey' every now and then. Gah, I hate that word, and that food. Bees make me sick."

"You only say because of jellybee sting on Nedij," Zomil said, giving off a hoarse laugh. "Never see human swell up so much very often."

"We don't have bees on Bakura! How was I supposed to know I was allergic?"

"Nediji say Malinza look like bloated Quockran or ugly Askajian."

"Alright, that's enough out of you, Zomil."

"Humor is lost on Malinza, because Malinza is embarrassed."

Malinza rolled her eyes and left him behind to enter Lilmit's ship, and waited near the docking door for him to come with her, as they were greeted by Lilmit, who was flanked by a Rybet with a FC-1 flechette launcher and a Kiffar female wielding an Echani double-brand.

Opening out his arms, Lilmit hugged Malinza and said, "It has been too long, my dear. You are looking as lovely as ever."

"And your fur has become amazingly well-textured, honey," Malinza said. "What have you done to make it so shiny and wondrous to behold?"

"I am so glad you noticed, my dear. I have hired an Ishi Tib hairdresser to manage it for me, and she has done such a remarkable job on it."

"Oh, where are my manners, honey? This is Ket Maliss."

Zomil turned to face Lilmit and barely moved his head down to let him know that he had noticed him. Malinza placed a hand near her belt, ready to take out a weapon she had taken away from Tiu as she had slept.

Lilmit bowed to Zomil and said, "It is an honor to meet such a distinguished assassin who once served one of the greatest minds this Galaxy held."

Zomil grunted and then bowed as well.

"Now what should we do?" Lilmit asked. "You have the ion cannon components, yes?"

"Absolutely," Malinza said. "Step inside and we shall take care of this."

"Yes, yes. Oh, what is wrong with you two? Put down your weapons! We are amongst some very good friends of mine!"

The Rybet and Kiffar exchanged glances, shrugged in unison, and then placed both their weapons by their sides.

"Why thank you, Lilmit, for being a trusting simpleton, just like the rest of you scum," Malinza said as she brought out Tiu's lightsaber and sliced through the flechette launcher and then destroyed the Echani double-brand when the Kiffar brought the weapon up to try and keep her safe from the majestic energy blade.

Before Limit could react to what had happened, Zomil grabbed both the Rybet and Kiffar by their necks and sent them into the meleenium-infused durasteel platforms near them, which sent them into unconsciousness as Zomil let go of them. Malinza, holding out the lightsaber with both of her hands, pointed it at Lilmit's face, and smiled at him.

"Congratulations, honey, you've just been scammed," Malinza said, as Zomil came by her side and removed his hologram inducer.

"What?" Lilmit said. "I don't understand. Why are you doing this, Lissahl?"

Taking her left hand off the lightsaber, Malinza removed some of the enhancements on her face and revealed her true visage. "Lissahl just happened to run into a couple operatives in the Ryn Network the other day, who reported her to Galactic Alliance officials for her role in handling illegal smuggling operations on Atzerri and is now imprisoned on Oovo IV. This hasn't been made public yet, so I'm not surprised to see that you didn't know this."

"But why are you doing this?"

"Three-Eye stole one of my adopted uncle's Jedi, and I'm going to bring him back. I'm going to trust in myself and know that I can make the impossible, possible."

"What kind of flawed logic is that?"

"The same kind of flawed logic that let us fool your sorry mind. Now get moving into the ship. What's its name?"

"The _Pride of Garnib_."

"Not anymore it is. This is now the _Gaeriel Captison_. Now take us to the bridge."

Lilmit in front of them, Malinza and Zomil followed after him, as she still held the bronze blade to the Balinak's back.

"Malinza is scary with lightsaber, no?" Zomil asked Lilmit.

"Very much so," Lilmit said. "If you are naming this ship after Gaeriel Captison, then you must be her daughter. I was led to believe that you were not Force-sensitive."

"Yes," Malinza said, using a scanner to make sure that they were not met with any other members of Lilmit's crew.

"How do you know how to use one then?"

"My adopted uncle's better known as one of the greatest Grand Masters ever to live. I may not be Force-sensitive, but that doesn't mean I can't learn some maneuvers. The worst part is that the blade's not supposed to be used by people like us, so it takes more practice, but to deal with people like you it's so easy it's not even funny."

Lilmit grunted, but said no more.

"What is plan now, Captain?" Zomil asked.

"Lilmit here is going to go to that comlink there and say that the crew is to evacuate the ship in their smaller vessels that are held inside the cargo bay, because there is a reactor leak that will kill them all. Lilmit will go alone. Self-preservation will take care of the rest."

Beckoning Lilmit forward with the lightsaber, Malinza watched as he did as instructed.

"This is Captain Lilmit speaking," he said, grimacing. "All hands prepare to abandon ship now! There is a reactor leak in the engine room that you cannot detect right now. It appears that some mynocks have gotten inside and ruined them for us! Take all the ships in the hangar bay and depart for our bases on Taris and Lanjer! I shall accompany you later! Now go!"

A red alert activated the moment Lilmit finished his speech, and Zomil grabbed him by the mouth and forced him into a side room, as Malinza shut it behind him, just in time to avoid a Trandoshan crew member passing them by.

"Is any more need for him?" Zomil asked.

Malinza eyed Lilmit for a moment, deactivated her lightsaber, and said, "Beat him up."

Despite Lilmit's protests, Zomil brought the Balinak's head smashing into the glass table in the room and then flung him into the wall, barely missing a rare surviving painting of _The Wrath of IG-88_ that was embroidered by Corusca gems. Standing over Lilmit, Zomil found him unconscious and moved back over to Malinza, who nodded at him.

"Good job," she said. "Now we'll send him on a one-way jump to Mika."

Waiting three more minutes, Malinza opened the door, and walked out, this time holding her Crusader M-XIV rifle and Tiu's lightsaber, but left it deactivated. Zomil came out next, as he locked the door to make sure Lilmit couldn't escape and moved with her over to the now _Gaeriel Captison's _bridge, where she deactivated the red alert following a scan proving that there were only three beings on the ship and one on the _Hindsight_.

"Well that was easy," Malinza said, watching the other ships enter hyperspace. "Now for the next phase of the plan. Use the autopilot to bring the _Hindsight_ in here. It's time that we paid Three-Eye a visit."

**2**

Tiu Zax did not wake up in the _Hindsight_ as she had expected to do the moment that she had recovered from the loss of Shul Vaal and her subsequent entrance to unconsciousness, but was instead in an ethereal realm populated by several beings that seemed to be sentient, but who were all avoiding her for now. The beings seemed to be hermaphroditic in appearance, with large wings that they kept behind their backs in order to walk on the ground normally. Their bodies all seemed to be too large to support flight, but her hypothesis was disproven when two of the aliens entered the air at the same time and flew in unison, as the sun of the planet she was on barely lit up the sky, as it was obscured by an enormous dust cloud that seemed to encircle the entire world of these magnificent beings.

Shaking her head, Tiu felt a presence search for her through the Force, and she looked for it in her mind, but was alerted to its existence when it appeared before her in a murky form that she could barely see or make sense of.

_Tiu Zax, our time together is short, _it said. _Wake up now and track down your lost lover, for the both of you are needed in the days ahead. Three-Eye must be stopped, for her actions will have dangerous repercussions in the Galaxy should she remain alive. _

"I don't understand," Tiu said, still not able to see her companion clearly. "Who are you and what do you want from me?"

_A friend, _it said, smiling. _One who will help you in the dark days to come. Now, Tiu Zax, you must wake up and help your friends to save the Galaxy._

**3**

"She's waking up," the 2-1B surgical droid stated.

Malinza nodded, glad that the droid that they had found during a run through of the ship's medical bay had proven to be a boon for them, and was now operating on Tiu, making sure that her bio-signs were still stable. The only reason that they could occupy and navigate the ship now was due to its large droid population, which had been left behind by their former masters.

Tiu's eyes squinted for a moment, but then opened completely, as she stared over at them to see where she was.

"It's okay, Tiu," Malinza said. "You're safe now."

"Where's Shul?" she asked. "Where is he?"

"As far as we know, Three-Eye has taken him to her base on Iridium. We are heading there right now to rescue him, but we had to make a stop along the way to get some better and stronger firepower."

"Is he okay? What happened?"

"Is good to calm down, no?" Zomil asked. "Nerves are not helpful now."

"But I need to know if he's safe! I can't feel him in the Force! Something's blocking his mind from me!"

Malinza considered the idea. "Ysalamiri, more than likely. Filthy creatures."

Tiu sat up and tried to calm herself down with the Force, but the agony of losing Shul to Three-Eye almost made it impossible. Finally, she gathered enough energy to bring a suitable amount of soothing memories to think straight.

"Where are we know?" she asked.

"This is the newly-christened _Gaeriel Captison_," Malinza said. "This once belonged to a lowlife within Three-Eye's organization that will allow us to infiltrate them without too much of a problem. Zomil and I have been looking through the ship logs to find ways to get inside so that we don't attract attention to ourselves on Iridium. Luckily enough, there were plenty of things in here that we could find and we're more than prepared to find Shul. Also, there is a large Galactic Alliance fleet heading our way to back us up, who should arrive soon after we do."

"Thank the Force…and thank you for your help, but there's something I don't understand about this."

"And what's that?"

"Why did you help track him down? You didn't have to."

Malinza and Zomil exchanged smiles. "Because no one that I swear to protect gets left behind," Malinza said.

"And Malinza's thoughts combine with mine," Zomil said.

"Okay, then let's go find Three-Eye and save him," Tiu said. "I'm ready to go."

"Not yet, you're not," Malinza said, handing Tiu's lightsaber to her.

**4**

Iridium, like many worlds in the Outer Rim, was mostly nondescript, and held little value to those who had better concerns to be worried over. Throughout the panels of Galactic history it had been fought over exactly twice before. First in the early days of the Mandalorian Wars when a group of Cathar fleeing the devastation of their homeworld had been followed by a group of Mandalorian Neo-Crusaders and subsequently killed, and last during the New Sith Wars, when a Republic fleet that had been reeling from the loss at the Battle of Mizra, where they had entered a blind jump and sent them to the planet, where a Sith fleet had followed them and slaughtered them to the last being.

Some time before the Clone Wars, a group of criminals had found the planet and decided to use it as a base to launch strikes all over the Atrivis sector. On the planet they had discovered the power gem, or a naturally occurring gemstone on the planet that could disrupt the shields of any vessel in its vicinity. The Jedi, weary of the influence that the Pirates of Iridium—as they had dubbed themselves—held over the Outer Rim, joined up with members of the Judicial Department of the Old Republic and killed all but one of them, who had stolen the last known power gem, until he was stopped years later by Han Solo and Chewbacca. Both had given the gem to Rebel General Jan Dodonna for safekeeping, but it had been stolen by his son, Vrad, who used it in a foolish attempt to attack the _Executor_ during the Evacuation of Yavin, killing himself in the attempt, and buying the Rebellion time to escape.

As Malinza Thanas dropped out of hyperspace, she was glad to know that Iridium did not have any more of its power gems, and that they could fly into its atmosphere without fearing the pirates within Three-Eye's organization using it on them. However, her optimism was noticeably shortened when she saw the fleet assembled above the planet that held over ten vessels of varied size and combat ability. Six _Kaloth_-class battlecruisers were in a tight formation near the closest path to Three-Eye's base on the planet, while two _Assassin_-class corvettes were following behind two GAT-12 Skipray Blastboats. Near them were multitudes of starfighters of many different makes, including several _Razor_-class starfighters, E-Wings, and _Manta_-class assault starfighters.

"What is human saying about events that go bad?" Zomil asked.

"I have a bad feeling about this," Malinza said.

As the _Gaeriel Captison_ came closer to the planet, one of the _Kaloth_-class battlecruisers left its formation and approached them. "Is that you, Lilmit?" asked the operator, who sounded like a male Abyssin.

Malinza answered the call, "Sorry, sir, but Captain Lilmit is sick with Dantari flu and is not able to come out right now. My name is Teyora Rekab, and I am acting captain for right now, so I'll send you the proper codes now."

After having discarded her earlier Zeltron enhancements, Malinza had decided to use an Enso design to make sure no one could tell that she was the same person that had just jailed the leader of the entire pirate ring several days ago. Zomil, meanwhile, had decided to take on the appearance of a Shistavanen, something that he didn't need his hologram inducer to do, thanks to his mammalian appearance. Tiu, rather than go through minor enhancements, had elected to stay as an Omwati, as she figured it would be difficult to remember her appearance, especially since Three-Eye hadn't seen her as much as the others.

"Codes accepted, _Pride of Garnib_," the Abyssin said. "You may land."

"Thank you, sir," Malinza said, and shut off the comm.

"Descent is begun," Zomil said, as he brought the _Gaeriel Captison _down to the planet's surface. "All ships leave us alone."

"Understood."

Malinza sighed, knowing that she hardly understood the syntax of Zomil's words as he tended to change tenses almost every single sentence, the result of his older age and from his past that he refused to divulge to her. Deciding it didn't matter now, Malinza watched as Zomil began to let the ship descend onto the planet, even though larger vessels were recommended to never commit such an act, due to the large expenditure of energy it took to get back into space. Some ships, however, were able to compensate for this due to various devices they held in them to help counteract this problem, which the _Gaeriel Captison_ did as well.

"Are we ready to leave?" Tiu asked, as she threw her ceremonial robe across her face and made sure to have her lightsaber in close distance to her fingers.

Checking out the guard crew that had assembled outside to make sure that they were all allies, Malinza clipped her rifle to her utility belt and said, "Let's roll."

Tiu in the lead, Malinza and Zomil left for the landing platform, which opened slowly and revealed a group of beings led by a Lutrillian with his hands behind his back. "Hello, my friends. My name is Sawthane, Three-Eye's second-command. Three-Eye awaits us. Please follow me."

"With pleasure," Malinza said, shooting the nearest guard—a male Bimm—and placing the rifle to Sawthane's face.

As the other guards tried to bring out their weapons, Zomil shot a Yam'rii with a LJ-50 concussion rifle, and Tiu destroyed the blasters held by an Advozse and Bith with her lightsaber. Before they could bring out another weapon to attack them with, Tiu sent a wave of Force energy toward them, sending them crashing into a pile of barrels nearby.

"I surrender," Sawthane said, holding up his hands. "Three-Eye is this way."

Malinza frowned for a moment. "You sure change moods quickly."

"A blaster to the head can change a being's thought processes rather quickly."

Following right behind Sawthane, the trio passed by other members of Three-Eye's pirate group, but none of them attacked, not willing to kill the one who was next in line to succeed their leader. Through the winding paths of the base, Tiu searched Sawthane's intentions in the Force, and found that he was being sincere about leading them to Three-Eye.

"How fortified is Three-Eye's room?" Malinza asked, casting a glare at a Ranat that fled from their presence at the sight of her.

"There are many droid defenses held within. At least one YVH droid, I believe, and some old B1 battle droids. No problem for beings such as yourself. Also several members of the Talz and Anzati species who are all heavily trained in hand-to-hand combat."

"Wonderful. Can't ever be easy for us, can it?"

"Not for us, Captain," Zomil said. "Is our fate."

"Here it is," Sawthane said. "I will enter first. No doubt she will have already known that you have captured me and that you are after her. She will fight to the death."

Before they could get him to talk about his plan, Sawthane entered Three-Eye's central command chamber and let them see her for the first time since her captivity on the _Hindsight_.

"Welcome, my friends," she said, smiling. "I have been expecting you for some time."

Tiu activated her lightsaber as two Talz approached her and made a threatening noise. "Release Jedi Knight Shul Vaal immediately, and we will leave peaceably," she said.

Three-Eye laughed. "You expect me to do that? You are fools. I am in control here. You are simply outnumbered."

She snapped her fingers and several blast doors opened, and a lone YVH droid entered the room, while two Anzati females came along with four B1 droids.

Bringing out their weapons, Zomil and Malinza stood back to back with Tiu, who was waving her lightsaber around slowly to get ready to deflect the inevitable blaster fire.

"Kill them," Three-Eye said.

The B1 droids fired off a salvo of blaster fire, which was deflected by Tiu and sent into one of the now four Talz in the room, killing her. The YVH droid activated its fake amphistaff and collided with Tiu's blade, and the two dueled for supremacy, while Three-Eye watched on.

**5**

Malinza, meanwhile, had thrown a flash-bang grenade that blinded the Talz and Anzati warriors, as Zomil and she activated the hidden visors on their head to dull the blast, as she shot and killed the nearest Anzati, who crumpled to the floor and tripped a B1 droid, causing it to shoot one of its companions. Zomil tried to attack the other Anzat, but missed, hitting one of Three-Eye's sculptures instead. Moving in unison, they fled behind a table and overturned it to seek cover, while their opponents did the same.

Firing off at their enemies, they found it difficult to hit, as smoke grenades were filling the room and concealing their foes. Cursing under her breath, Malinza threw a cryoban grenade, but it missed her intended target and iced up the nearby wall instead.

_This is bad, _she thought. _Where is our backup?_

**6**

Tiu tried to Force push the YVH away, but it ducked her attack and slashed her side with his weapon, causing her to lose control of her lightsaber for a moment, and fail to block a blaster shot from the last remaining B1, but the blast merely singed her robes, and she recovered quickly and sliced off the droid's head. The YVH, however, attacked once more, giving her little time to muster a defense, so she jumped onto the ceiling and used the energy she'd gathered to leap over to the other side of the room to where Zomil and Malinza were. Deflecting the shots fired at her with her lightsaber, Tiu tried to send them back to their originators, but messed the angles up and found the blasts missing her intended targets by a wide margin.

Gritting her teeth, Tiu found the YVH had found her again and they locked their blades against each other. However, the droid revealed a third arm, and fired off a stun bolt that she was hardly able to dissipate in the Force, and it caused her mild discomfort, right as the droid took her lightsaber and held it up against her neck.

**7**

Malinza, looking through her visor for all of their foes, recognized the fact that they had lost sight of the remaining Anzat, and barely registered it in time to avoid the being from using her as its next source of gaining what they called the "soup." Malinza twisted her body around and fired at the Anzat, but missed her. Zomil attempted to help her as well, but the Anzat had turned to him and grabbed him from behind, and sent her proboscises to Zomil's nose, but she stopped short of taking him under her control and eating his soup.

"Surrender, little human," she said, stroking Zomil's fur. "It would be hard to see him die in front of you, would it not?"

Malinza grimaced. "Yes, it would, but killing him would also leave you vulnerable, and would allow me to kill you before you could defend yourself."

"Yes, but what about your other friend?"

Looking to her right, Malinza found Tiu in the clutches of the YVH droid, as the last of the Talz cornered her. However, she saw the defiance in Tiu's eyes and said nothing, right as the Jedi Knight disappeared, causing the YVH—whose sensors could be fooled by Jedi who could bend light to conceal themselves—to move the lightsaber away, which was taken away by Tiu once she removed the concealment she had placed on herself, and sliced off the droid's head, while pushing the Talz into the wall with the Force. Bringing out the blade near the Anzat, Tiu gave a rare smirk.

"Well, well," Three-Eye said. "It would appear that we have come to an impasse. So what do you propose we do?"

"Surrender unconditionally," Malinza said. "And give me back my co-pilot."

"I'm sorry, but I'm afraid I can't do that. Sawthane, prepare the—"

Three-Eye was interrupted by a transmission that filled the room, "This is Admiral Sorr of the Galactic Federation of Free Alliances," a hoarse voice that belonged to a member of the Laboi species said. "To all followers of Three-Eye, as well as the members of the Thalassian Slavers and Cavrilhu Pirates, you are to surrender immediately and unconditionally. If you resist your prison sentences will be tripled. Comply now."

"All ships under my command: Attack the Alliance forces now!" Three-Eye ordered. "Let them all die and resent the day that they ever faced us in battle!"

Sounds of battle were heard throughout the room, while the female Anzat still held onto Zomil, who was waiting patiently for what would happen next. A massive explosion was heard, filling their eats with the sounds of the dead ending up in a fiery inferno.

Three-Eye cringed, but asked Sawthane for a report, as he received scattered and loud transmissions from their ships of damages suffered from Alliance weapons. One _Kaloth_-class battlecruiser had even been destroyed in the first wave of the assault. The support craft of the pirates were also being destroyed by the well-placed strikes of the XJ7 X-Wing starfighters that had come with the Alliance fleet.

Malinza smirked. "Well, well, it would appear that we're in control now. Drop all of your weapons and surrender immediately."

Three-Eye glared at her. "Never! We will fight to the last being against you scum!"

Bringing out her blaster, Three-Eye found it shot out of her hand when Sawthane brought out his own weapon, and died with her eyes open when he shot her in the head. Using the small distraction, Malinza shot the Anzat in the foot, causing her to yell out in pain and flee the room, thus freeing Zomil from her grasp.

Looking over to Malinza, Sawthane said, "I have no interest in losing my life. I would rather spend the rest of my days in prison than lose myself to some fool's quest." He turned to his Qiraash assistant, who had been hidden during the entire fight behind a chair. "Tell them to stand down and desist attacking the Alliance forces. They are far too numerous for us to fight and live."

The Qiraash nodded and left the room.

"Is this satisfactory to you?" Sawthane asked, as he threw his blaster to the ground.

"Quite," Malinza said. "Now tell us where Shul Vaal is being held."

"I'm sorry, what?"

"Shul Vaal," Tiu said, moving closer to him. "Three-Eye captured him and took him here with her to use as a bargaining chip, I assume. Now where is he?"

Sawthane grimaced. "I am truly despondent over this, but Shul Vaal is not here. Three-Eye placed him under the control of a Mon Calamari crime lord named Gumbrak Hoxz who is on Pzob. I'm afraid you've come here for nothing, save for the freedom of several slaves and the destruction of one of the largest pirate organization in the Galaxy."

Malinza and Tiu exchanged shocked looks, as the Jedi began to tear up, wishing that she had the ability to stop herself from showing such emotion.

For all the good that they had done for the countless enslaved beings in captivity on the planet and the other worlds controlled by the pirates and slavers, it still didn't get rid of the fact that Shul Vaal was on the opposite side of the Galaxy.

A/N: The next chapter will reveal the leader of the group that is working against our heroes, and his ties to a group of Sith that will one day rule the Galaxy. It should be completed soon. Until next time...


	11. Chapter 10

A/N: Got to this sooner than I thought, and managed to include more than I'd planned as well, so that was great to do. Please let me know if there is anything that I need to change or fix in here. Thanks in advance.

Chapter 10

**O'reen system, O'reen, Fort Maximus, Palace of the Magnus **

Situated in the Unknown Regions was a world lost to the annals of Galactic Alliance and Imperial Remnant history. Despite its relative closeness to the regions of known space, O'reen had found itself lost to its progenitors due to more pressing concerns in the Core worlds, and, due to the passing of ages, O'reen was alone in the Galaxy. Lying in a realm of space that held only one hyperspace lane—one that was highly volatile and likely to kill any who could not traverse it without the proper coordinates—O'reen accepted its newfound isolation with glee, and began to spread rumors that all who lived there had always been on the planet, and that, while there were other planets in the Galaxy, all were inferior to O'reen.

Settled by a group of human, Ithorian, Morseerian, and Stennes colonists, O'reen was named after the founder, a Nimbanel male who had a distinguished career as a commander in the Republic navy, and had been sent their in order to garner colonist support for his control of the planet. Originally planned as an outpost to guard the Old Republic from invasion following the Great Hyperspace War, O'reen soon became one of four outposts that were abandoned due to bureaucratic dealings early after its inception and completely ignored thanks to the growing threat of the Mandalorian Wars and the eventual fall of Revan and Malak in the Jedi Civil War. Lost and alone for the first time, O'reen was almost sent into barbarism within the first year, due to growing fears that they would be assaulted by all the faceless terrors in a realm of space they had never charted before. However, this crisis was first solved by the founder of the colony, O'reen, who brought all sides to join him in creating a firm military state that would be able to become its own entity and strike out its fortune in their new home.

O'reen was opposed, however, by a group of Jedi Knights that had also been assigned to guard the planet under the leadership of Anavus Svag, a member of the Snivvian species who had been the basis behind the Draethos Jedi Master Odan-Urr's lecture on the Great Hyperspace War in the Tedryn Holocron. Leading his padawans—a Vuvrian male and Saurin female—to the palace constructed by O'reen to be the place where he would rule the planet, Anavus had joined up with a human starship captain named Magnus, who knew that O'reen had been killed by one of the Stennes colonists, who had taken his shape and then pretended to be him in order to have full control of the world. Unknown to the Jedi, Magnus planned to kill them the moment that they were trying to imprison the false O'reen for his duplicity. During a fierce battle that had sent the entire colony into a furious riot, O'reen's portrayer was found and killed by Magnus, who had then killed the Jedi with a surprise attack from his loyal Morseerian followers, thus leaving the planet entirely under his control.

Angered by the actions of the false O'reen, the O'reenian populace had joined Magnus in beginning the decimation of the Stennes race from the planet. Using biological scanners to help discern the Stennes from the other species that their shapeshifting proved able to replicate, the people of O'reen exterminated every last one of them from their world, despite the protests of the Ithorian populace, who tried to open up talks with Magnus and the leaders of the Stennes rebel group that had sprung up in response to their massacre. Magnus dubbed the Ithorians as traitors of the planet, but did not kill them, as many of his human followers admired the aliens for their wisdom and moral stance on the issue. Instead, he removed several of their privileges, leaving them with little to no legal rights. Eventually—near a thousand years before the Jedi Exile had destroyed the Sith world of Malachor V—Magnus succumbed to O'reenian fever, a plague borne of the native kliklat animals, a favorite delicacy of the Stennes when they had been alive on the planet. Rather than view the irony of the situation, Magnus's successor had taken the ruler's surname as his title and ruled in the same manner as his former leader: With an iron fist.

Left with a minimal reserve of Galactic Republic warships, O'reen soon found that they needed to gain materials to create new ships that would be able to defend themselves from the many dangers of the Unknown Regions. Having little resources of its own to supply itself with such weapons, emissaries were sent to 244Core and Iol, where arrangements were made to get what they needed. However, these emissaries also brought the location of O'reen to members of the Vagaari Empire, who invaded the planet and were barely fought off. More xenophobic than ever, O'reen declared any being not a human, Ithorian, or Morseerian to be evil and one of the many abominations the Galaxy had to offer, although such feelings would fade with them. Their fear still growing, O'reen's populace turned the majority of their resources to create a fortress world that would later be compared to worlds in the Core.

The strength and safety of O'reen had been the main draws behind Durrei's decision to maintain a presence on the world following his escape from New Republic officials on Jandoon.

Fifty-seven years old, Durrei had creamy eyes and dark hair, was as tall as the average male Tusken Raider, and appeared to be more around forty years old. Boasting a chiseled face and remarkable muscles for a man his age, Durrei was a former member of an Imperial killing splinter group that had helped him during his fall to the dark side following the deaths of his mother and father on Elrood. On that day, Durrei had shown his Force-sensitivity by killing the stormtroopers that had murdered his parents, beginning his journey to empower himself further through any means necessary.

Gaining notoriety in the Corva sector for his killing of Imperials, Durrei had found a red lightsaber and managed to teach himself in the ways of the Force, gaining abilities from testing out his limits. Despite his small learning, Durrei proved a natural Force user and had killed many of the beings that had dared enter his path or prevented him from gaining more knowledge of the Force. However, Durrei did not wish to be found by Inquisitorius members, due to his hatred of the Empire, and tried to keep as small a profile as possible, yet still wanted to kill as many of his hated enemies at the same time.

Fearing for his safety, Durrei had searched for artifacts that resonated with the Force in order to get stronger, eventually learning of the Kashi Mer Talisman, a Force-imbued artifact that had been inadvertently used by Arden Lyn to stay alive for twenty-five thousands years, but had been lost to her in a trip to the Corva sector. Discovering that a Gotal criminal called Mahk'khar had found it on Tuulab, Durrei arranged to have the talisman brought to him, and double-crossed Mahk'khar on Jandoon, where he had barely escaped a group of New Republic operatives that had wanted to stop him from gaining the talisman. Eventually killing them on Edusa—with the only survivor being future Captain Alexandra Winger, whose minute Force abilities had proved enough of a challenge to fight him off and escape with her life—Durrei sought refuge from his foes in order to avoid being attacked once more. On his way, he encountered Ylairo Iteu, one of the many Emperor's Hands that had fled following his death at the second Death Star. Finding that they held similar interests, Ylairo had agreed to be Durrei's apprentice, due to Durrei's firm control of the Kashi Mer talisman that strengthened his dark sided powers.

Using secret knowledge of the Emperor, they had founded several refuges on worlds as far apart as Zaddja and Dennogra to maintain a network from which to begin an assault on the Galaxy, in order to start a new order in the Galaxy. However, Durrei had been careful to make sure that he could learn from the mistakes of the other would-be conquerors of the Galaxy, and patiently waited as they fought against the Jedi, taking in every failure they made and every facet of information that could prove useful to his coming reign. He used Ylairo as his primary agent to gather such information, all while he taught himself more of the Force's mysteries.

Following the demise of the Second Imperium, Durrei had considered attacking the New Republic through bringing the Vagaari Empire to them, but decided against it, as he was sure that the slavers would grow bolder and bring the Chiss Ascendancy into the war as well by attacking Chiss territory inside of Chiss Space. The invasion of the Yuuzhan Vong had further derailed his plans, as he knew that attacking then could allow the Yuuzhan Vong control of the entire Galaxy, and he would never live in a Galaxy populated by soulless aberrations of the Force. Instead, he had located O'reen and made his way into the planet's politics, eventually becoming its leader through the shadows through his psychic manipulations of the Magnus at the time, giving him full control of the planet. The people of O'reen regarded him with awe, especially with his full control of the Force, which had been little more than legend to them for years thanks to the lack of proper instructors when a being happened to be born with a sensitivity to the Force. With its fleet at his command, he could then strike at dozens of worlds inside of the Unknown Regions without fearing reprisal from the Jedi. However, he had no such interest in doing so, as his plans for domination would prove to be ultimately futile in the end. By using his knowledge of the beings he had studied, he found that his small fleet would be all but useless compared to the might held by the Jedi, who could outlast everything that came at them.

Knowing that the Jedi were the greatest threat he faced, Durrei had used the Kashi Mer talisman to use his natural ability to see through the future and augment it further, giving him an almost full account of what could happen. Foreseeing the devastation brought on by the menace of Darth Caedus and later the Lost Tribe of Sith, Durrei bided his time and sought out guidance on how to rid himself of the Jedi once they were weak and too far spread out. His investigations proved to bear some fruit, as he located an organization of Sith that had hidden themselves quite well on Korriban, living there and biding their time there as they waited for the Jedi to fall. Using this knowledge to his advantage, Durrei had sent Ylairo there to contact them, in order to gain an alliance with them, as they held similar goals. The alliance was made, but it was nowhere near being as strong as it needed to be yet, but that was the way that both sides preferred to keep it at the moment, since both planned on betraying the other soon enough.

Thanks to contacting these so-called One Sith, Durrei learned of several devices and old beings in the Galaxy that could combat the Jedi and kill them without making him come out of hiding. These same entities could then be used to eliminate his competition and leave him as the sole ruler of the Galaxy, should all go well with his plans.

Situating himself in a sitting position on the floor of his chambers in the Palace of the Magnus, Durrei held the Kashi Mer talisman in his right hand and focused on the future, trying to locate what needed to be done next in his mission to exterminate the Jedi from the Galaxy. His search proved to be fast, as he immediately began to experience visions of the future, seeing that the first group of those that were being gathered by his unknown foe to combat him in the future were all heading to Pzob in order to find others to ally with, while a second group found that the efforts they had made were fruitless, and that Pzob was their next destination to retrieve their lost friend from an ally of Durrei's. Meanwhile, Durrei's forces were plotting against him, in order to have a bargaining chip should they be attacked by his enemies, but he cared not for their future betrayal, as it would never come to that. For now Durrei would do as he had always done before and make sure that his enemies were killed and separated from each other as a measure to help prevent their future challenges to his plan that they could stop.

Finally, Durrei witnessed a world mired in a dust cloud and drenched in its abundant life that was found nowhere else in the Galaxy. Durrei attempted to enter its atmosphere in his mind in order to discover its name, but he was repulsed by the same force. Clutching the Kashi Mer talisman, he attempted once more to break through, but he met with the same fate. Cursing this unknown entity, he relinquished his visions and activated his holographic communicator.

"I am here," a cool, almost apathetic voice said as it appeared on the communicator, revealing a young Givin male. "What do you require, Master Durrei?"

"Vul Isen, I have an inquiry on what information that you have gathered while inside the Hapes Cluster," Durrei said. "I trust the mission I sent you on is going well?"

"The answer we seek is here, but I have not located it yet. I have, however, found that there is someone here who could be most helpful in finding it for us."

"Who is this?"

"An enemy of the Queen Mother who is being held on Gallinore. He should prove quite useful for our plans."

"Then release him immediately and steal what he knows. If need be, kill him, if he seems to be more useful alive, take him with you."

"Yes, it shall be done."

Vul turned off the communicator, while Durrei activated it once more, but contacted his apprentice, who was now on Zaddja, which appeared behind him when his hologram opened up.

"Ylairo, go to Pzob and kill those who we have talked of," Durrei said. "Now."

"Yes, my Master," Ylairo said. "It shall be done."

Turning off the communicator for good, Durrei stood up and exited his chambers. An honor guard approached him to escort him to wherever he wanted to go, but he surprised them by choking the life from them, and left them slumped on the floor. Normally he would think them to be useful in his missions, but that was merely a fantasy he had concocted during his thoughts of taking over O'reen.

Now, however, it was time to leave the fortress world behind, as Durrei's destiny lied in the known regions of the Galaxy. Unfortunately for the residents of O'reen, Durrei could not let them reveal to anyone else that he had been there, so he had taken action earlier that day to make sure that no one could tell of his presence. Fortunately, for him though, his vital contacts within the Vagaari Empire would be more than pleased to have the secret defense codes of the planet's primary shield generator, as well as the proper virus needed to infect the planet's naval fleet and cause them to fight against their own people. Within one O'reen thirty-four hour day, its entire population would be under their control, and no one there would be believed if they told stories of Durrei, the enigma of O'reen.

A/N: The next chapter will return to Lehon, as Ken tries to explain what must be done, while attempting to keep Tash from descending into her own darkness. It should be written soon, but when that will be I do not know at this point in time. Until next time...


	12. Chapter 11

A/N: Finally managed to get rid of this stupid hiatus I had to take due to overwork this week. But enough about me: Here it is. Please let me know if there is anything I need to do to make sure that this is great. Thanks in advance and please enjoy.

Chapter 11

**Lehon system, Lehon**

**1**

"Zak Arranda was my friend, even though we did not always agree with one another," Ken Elegin said in the middle of the Lehon night, while the cries of racket-birds filled the ears of all near him. "He was many things during his days among we who live on: An anthropologist, a scholar, a Jedi, a man of integrity, but above all else, he was a brother, one who sought to protect his sister from all harm if at all possible. In so doing, Zak was brought into a conflict that none of us truly understand, and one that he never will thanks to the actions taken by our foes."

Ken paused for a moment and stared at his companions, wondering if his words had any meaning at all, because he felt that he wasn't speaking on Zak's death properly. Danni Quee and Kunra were standing beside each other, as Kunra held his wife, who had met Zak at least twice before when they had served at the end of the Yuuzhan Vong War. From the short time that she had gotten to know him, Danni had seen him bravely fight off rogue Yuuzhan Vong fleets that had vowed to not follow the conditions of the Sekot Accords above the worlds of Rhen Var and Nexus Ortai. Following those encounters, Danni had never seen him again, at least until today, where his corpse was barely recognizable to the eyes, and parts of his body had fragmented and been found several yards away from the explosion that had claimed his life.

Kunra, who had never met Zak, remained silent, but a small glint of respect was in his eyes, a telling sign of his appreciation for the warrior spirit of the man that had found himself under attack from people he could never have defended himself against properly. The tall and brooding Yuuzhan Vong Extolled One did nothing else, however, and awaited Ken's return to talking of the lost Jedi Knight.

Tash Arranda was nowhere near her companions, preferring to stay away from the fire that Ken and Kunra had built to prepare for Zak's cremation, and remain in the shadows. Danni had attempted to talk with her earlier, but her efforts were met with eyes filled with malice, so she had left Tash alone to her thoughts, not wanting to rile her up further. Ken had managed to calm her down some upon the arrival of Danni and Kunra, but Tash kept insisting that she be able to go out and find the last Mandalorian and kill him, because he had been the one to murder her brother. Ken had assured her that all of them were dead now, thanks to the coralskipper, and that Zak had been temporarily avenged, but Tash had not agreed with him, but had decided to wait and discover the identities of both their rescuers first.

Frowning inwardly, Ken returned to his message, "I don't pretend to know everything about the reasons why you had to die, Zak, but I promise you that I will find them and make sure that your sacrifice was not in vain. We will discover what it is that we are meant to do and go out and set everything right in the Galaxy once more. No one will ever forget what you have done for us…but now it is time for you to do what we all must do one day: Become one with the Force and move on to the next life. Farewell, my friend, and may the Force be with you."

Grabbing a branch from one of the palm trees that he had taken earlier to start the fire and to create a pyre for Zak's body, Ken brought it over to the wooden pyre and set it ablaze. Moving back from the pyre, Ken watched as the remains of Zak Arranda began to burn, and then slowly lose form, becoming ashes that filled up the night sky. Daring to look over at Tash, Ken found her trembling, but managing to keep the majority of her trembles to a minimum, but her presence in the Force gave away the fact that she was sobbing for her brother, an action that Ken joined in with once he saw how much she was hurting.

_I'm sorry, Tash, _Ken thought. _I wish I knew what to say to you to make things better, but I have no clue. I'm one of the reasons that your brother's dead, and I can tell you hate me for it. I want to help you, but I don't know how. I don't know much of anything, anymore, do I?_

Returning his gaze over to the fire, Ken felt the growing despair in his companions and tried to figure out what he could say to lighten the mood, but nothing came to mind, and when he attempted to bridge the gap into Kunra's mind, he was met with darkness and confusion. It took him a moment to remember that the Yuuzhan Vong still had not fully returned to the Force and that it would be very unlikely to properly figure out the mindset of any Yuuzhan Vong that just happened to be near him.

"_Krel os'a hmi va ta!_" Kunra issued out, surprising all but Danni when he said it.

Knowing that the others did not have the advantage of having a tizowyrm inserted inside of their ears, Danni translated, "What my husband just said roughly translates to 'Defiance in the face of overwhelming odds.' It's an old Yuuzhan Vong phrase that was used to embolden their warriors when they faced a situation where it looked like they would all die."

"The talk of fools," Tash said, and left them behind to enter the _Shroud_.

Ken grimaced as she left them behind so suddenly, and almost went over to the ship to talk to her, but he felt the presence of Danni enter his mind, and he halted his movements.

"Not now, Ken," she said, shaking her head. "Give her some time. She just lost her only living relative, one who she has been very close to since the loss of her parents thanks to the destruction of Alderaan by the Empire. If she wasn't acting like this, I'd begin to wonder if she was heartless. Just let her take a moment or two while we discuss things out here."

Ken sighed, tried to come up with a counterargument, but kept silent.

"There are also other important matters to discuss at this moment," Kunra said. "I take it that you were brought here through means similar to the ones that showed us the way here?"

"I had a vision where Coruscant and the Jedi were killed by some monster that I can't even begin to identify," Ken said. "I saw people, vague at first, but now that I see you I know that you were among the people I witnessed in it. It brought me here and to the Arrandas…but it wasn't exactly specific on what I was supposed to do here. Maybe if it did I could have made sure that none of this had happened to Zak."

"Maybes and what ifs aren't thing that we can worry about right now," Danni said. "We need to focus on what we can do to figure out just what or who is directing us to join together and find out what your vision means to us."

"I have no clue who was the one who gave me this vision, but from what I could tell he was deliberately concealing himself, but not because he was afraid of what I would do once I saw him with my own eyes. I'm guessing that he must be ashamed of something that we will have to deal with later on. I don't pretend to understand how I know this, but I do."

Kunra nodded. "I have been around the Jedi for many years—so much that I am one of the few members of my species who can properly say the word in Basic—but I still cannot find a way to understand your double-talk and mysterious phrasings," he said, frowning. "Especially in the moments when you talk of the Force and its subtleties; I find myself as lost as the Chazrach were once they found out that they were no longer our slaves due to the Accords."

"And I wish that you were able to understand us better, Kunra," Danni said.

"It matters not in this moment. For now we must return to the task at hand, as I believe the human saying goes. We find ourselves in a very compromising position, seeing as we do not know of what we must do in the future. I imagine that your Force will show us the way, but for this moment, I find myself at a loss as to what we should do from here on out."

"Well, I hate to contradict you, Kunra, but I know exactly where we need to go on from here," Ken said. "Our next destination will be Pzob."

"Pzob?" Danni repeated. "Why would we ever go to that backwater planet?"

Ken grimaced, reliving the time Zak had asked a similar question.

"What is wrong?" Kunra asked. "Are you offended by her question, Master?"

"No, no I'm not," Ken said, holding up his hands. "I just happened to recall a memory that is best left to never be brought up again. And for the record, Kunra, please call me Ken. I may have earned the position of Jedi Master, but I prefer to not be known by a title."

"Then I shall respect your choice."

"Now that that's out of the way, why don't you tell us why we need to go to Pzob, Ken?" Danni asked, smiling inwardly at her husband's need to defend her from perceived harm.

"Uh, I don't know why we should go there," Ken said.

"You don't know why we have to go to the place you were told to take us to?"

"Yeah, uh, that sounds just about right."

"Kunra, now I know exactly how you feel when I start talking to you this way."

"It is nice that you understand this, my _khot_. But forget it for now: Ken, how did you arrive on this planet and can it provide a place for my yorik-et to feed while we travel to this Pzob and discover what it is that we are meant to do?"

"Well, I came here on what's left of that StealthX over there," Ken said, pointing over to what was left of the once stable starfighter. "I imagine it won't be getting us anywhere now."

"Then it is imperative that we take the Arranda's vessel and take it to Pzob."

Ken nodded. "The only problem being that we have to convince Tash that it is in her best interests to join up with us and let us use the _Shroud_. That should be easy and painless to do."

"Actually yes it will be," Danni said, moving away from them and picking up an object that had been lying on one of the transport canisters that the Arrandas had been using to file the artifacts that they had found during their dig. "She left the main controls here, which is very odd, since ships like this don't normally use devices similar to this at all."

"She won't like that we just took her ship without asking."

"She can deal with this once we are gone from this wretched and decrepit world," Kunra said, following his wife to approach the ship. "What is on this Pzob and what should we be wary of once we go there?"

"Pzob is populated by the Gamorreans, a very violent race by nature who rarely if ever enjoy the appearances of outsiders on their colony world, especially after the Imperial occupation of the planet," Danni said. "Why we should go there, I have no clue, but let's go anyways."

"Then I shall bring the yorik-et inside its hangar bay, while you two start it."

"I'll pilot it," Ken said. "We're lucky the Arrandas have modified this, otherwise your coralskipper wouldn't be able to fit into it. I hope we can figure out what we're supposed to do, because I'm really tired of not knowing what we're heading into. With our luck it'll be some grand and wondrous mission that leads us into a bunch of trouble."

**2**

Ram Zerimar woke up to the sounds of a vessel leaving the planet's atmosphere and him behind, and immediately jumped up with his rifle at the ready. However, once he discovered that he was alone again, he dropped his rifle to his side and scanned the surrounding area for signs of life, discovering that he was the only sentient being in the vicinity. Confused at his readings, he widened his range, but ended up with the same result, so he scanned for the transponders that all of his fellow Mandalorian Protectors had in their armor, allowing him to locate all of them, but none of that explained the discrepancy of their not being alive.

Moving over to where his scanner provided the transponder signals, Ram found the vast remains of his comrades, or what was left of them. Smoldering piles of cooling lava filled out the area around his dead companions, with the majority of them being hardly recognizable due to the enormous heat cast off by whatever weapon that had killed them.

_What happened here? _Ram thought. _This can't be happening! They're all dead!_

Ram cautiously approached the body of a young human Mandalorian, one who had just joined him a week before. His name had been Briike, and he had been one of many such young Mandalorians that had found their present state in the Galaxy as Daala's kath hounds to be an absolute anathema to their true path. Ram had not known him long, but he could see that the young man would have been a promising individual, had he been given life enough to live.

Balling his hands into fists, Ram punched the ground and yelled out, "_Jetiise hut'uun_!"

Trying to calm himself down, Ram noticed that their ship was gone, the victim of the same weapon that had killed his comrades. However, this was not a setback at all, due to the preparedness that his fellows had undertaken before their arrival on the planet's surface.

_Wait…lava killed them? _Ram asked himself, recalling the past. Vongese_ weapons used magma as a weapon, and I saw one before I slipped into unconsciousness. The Jedi must have brought their allies here to kill us. This conspiracy is much larger than I thought! I have to go back and report this to Durrei; he'll know what to do. The Jedi may have destroyed my main ship and killed my men, but they failed to destroy the ship I had hidden behind the first moon of this planet. All I have to do is bring it here by remote and chase after their ion trails. Forget talking to Durrei; I can handle this by myself and avenge my people. The Jedi will pay for what they have done to us. _

Punching the codes on his armor to bring his personal vessel to him, Ram awaited its coming, while he began to formulate a plan that would properly dispose of his enemies, a plan that would take them by surprise and force them to remember the Mandalorians they had killed in their unforgivable bloodlust to spread their disease of treachery and deceit.

A/N: I'm heading over to Wilmington for the weekend in order to look for an apartment for next semester, so I have no clue when I'll be able to have time to write the next chapter, which will return to Raynar's part in this story, and will introduce another major player to this fan-fic as well. Until next time...


	13. Part II: The Gathering: Chapter 12

A/N: I rather like how this chapter turned out, as it included-as I increasingly find when I write this story-much more than I had come up with originally. Please let me know if there is anything that needs to be changed or corrected. Thanks in advance and please enjoy.

Part II: The Gathering

Chapter 12

**Transitory Mists, Hapes Cluster, Hapes system, Hapes**

**1**

Raynar Thul dropped out of hyperspace near Hapes orbit, and waited for the beings in charge of the planet's foreign ship security to ask why he was there.

The trip to Hapes had been relatively quick, even though Raynar had been forced to flee his original path to the planet by leaving the Perlemian Trade Route at Brentaal IV in order to go onto a new destination in the Hydian Way so that he could avoid Galactic Alliance patrols that had been sent to retrieve him. Thankfully, his danger sense had alerted him to a problem, and he had contacted Meego of Meego's Starship Emporium earlier and managed to meet up with him on Aldraig IV, where the two decided to honor the agreement that they had with one another due to the orders passed on by Raynar's mother, Aryn, to give Raynar any ship that he requested with no questions asked. Along with an extended weapons package added onto it, Meego had given Raynar an YV-929 armed freighter called the _Star Traveler _free of charge, and had even offered the ship's history as well.

The ship had first been built just after the Battle of H'nemthe in the Clone Wars, where its first captain, the enigmatic Nosaurian Separatist sympathizer Bomo Greenbark saw his first bit of action in 21 BBY by fighting off a Republic force led by the magnificent Cerean Jedi Master Ki-Adi-Mundi and also against the neutral local H'nemthe. Bomo later bought the ship from the Corellian Engineering Corporation on a colony world of the Brizzit called Listehol, but would later lose it to the Quor'sav smuggler Renna Strego in a game of sabacc on Trammis III. Renna took his new ship and modified all of its capabilities further, making it able to fight off light Imperial cruisers when the Empire was formed, so much that he was constantly requested by his fellow smugglers to be used as a way to protect them when they were all carrying illicit goods abroad. Renna later fought in the Battle of Nar Shaddaa, where he lost his life and the _Star Traveler_ crash-landed on Nal Hutta, where it was acquired by the unnaturally tall Jawa known as Zubwen, who refitted it further and used it to bring salvage to his Chief, Nebit, back on Tatooine, until he was killed by stormtroopers for the "crime" of holding R2-D2 and C-3PO for a time. As Zubwen left the _Star Traveler_ hidden to make sure his fellows wouldn't take it from him, it remained on Tatooine and rusted for years, at least until it was found by native son of Tatooine Cole Fardreamer following the Almanian Crisis, and remained in his control until he sold it to Meego, who kept it for years as a means to protect all of the ships that he held at his Emporium. Normally the ship was designed to be piloted by more than one being, but it had been fitted with a large complement of droids to compensate for the lack of operators, letting Raynar fly it with little to no worries, as the droids were all top of the line and easy to work with.

Glad to know that the ship had been taken care of so well by the majority of its former owners, Raynar knew that he would likely be able to pilot it with little problem. Parting amicably with Meego, Raynar had left Aldraig IV when a StealthX had attacked them, forcing Meego to flee in Raynar's StealthX without his own ship, while Raynar left in the _Star Traveler_ to return on his path to Hapes, wondering who could have been in the other StealthX. He had seen the ship follow after Meego, rather than him, more than likely due to the pilot's assumption that Raynar was in the starfighter and not the freighter. He had, however, felt that the unknown pilot had later found out their mistake and returned to seeking him, but for now they were far behind him and he would reach Hapes without too much trouble. Indeed the Hapan border patrols had left him alone, seeing as his cargo held little to nothing that could cause serious harm to them.

"This is Ta'a Chume'Dan Security requesting that the vessel identifying itself as the _Star Traveler_ send its reasons for entering our space," a feminine voice said when the communicator activated. "Please do so immediately for prepare to be boarded and have your ship impounded."

"Understood, Ta'a Chume'Dan Security officer," Raynar said, projecting his voice in the Force in a different manner from his own voice to avoid vocal identification.

"Then why have you not done it as we have requested?"

"My apologies. I will do it now."

Sending the information as promised, Raynar waited for them to reply, hoping that they would believe his story that he was merely a Theelin captain named Fracca, who was there on Hapes in order to deliver a shipment of phobium from Gargon that was planned to be used as a form of defensive shielding for new generations of Hapan Battle Dragons. Fracca was normally mistaken for a human due to his being an actual third generation hybrid, as the pure Theelins had all died off by 10 ABY, so Raynar would have little problem convincing the Hapans that met him on the planet's surface that he was him, even though Fracca now worked for Meego, and had agreed to let Raynar use his name as an alias. Even more fortuitously, Fracca had been one of the many beings affected by the Swarm War, and had become a Joiner, only to be horrifically scarred during the Battle of Florn, where the native Lamproids had fallen under the sway of the black membrosia. Raynar accepted the circumstances he was under, more so because he felt that he was to blame for the injuries that Fracca had incurred, and cared little for the coincidences the story held, as there were no such things in a Galaxy dominated by the Force.

"Your clearance levels have been approved, Captain Fracca," the officer said a moment later, letting Raynar know that his ruse had succeeded. "We are sending you the proper landing coordinates as we speak. Have a pleasant stay on Hapes."

"Thank you," Raynar said. "Fracca out."

Raynar punched in the coordinates offered to him and began his descent into the capital city of Hapes, Ta'a Chume'Dan, and waited for his ship to enter the rather large landing zone that would permit him access to the planet below. He knew that he had to enter Hapes and meet with the Queen Mother, Tenel Ka Djo, but he did not know why or what he was supposed to tell her when he did indeed meet with her. More importantly, he did not know exactly where he was going to find her, which would impede his search, but he felt that he would find her eventually, mostly due to a feeling he had that made him think that he would be rewarded somehow with her presence, even though she was hidden away from her people to protect her from assassins.

Shrugging, Raynar landed his vessel and got up, making sure that his lightsaber could not be seen underneath his robes, which were modeled after the designs of such garments worn by the Pacithhip species, but adjusted to fit a smaller human figure. Content in his appearance, he left his ship and exited it to meet the Hapan and—surprisingly enough—a female Sarkan, who both waited for him to fully depart and meet with them.

"I trust that the cargo is ready to be shipped off, Captain," the male Hapan said.

Raynar lifted his right hand and filled the Force with his presence, saying, "You don't need any of the items aboard my ship."

The Sarkan and Hapan submitted to the mind trick, saying, "We don't need any of the items aboard your ship."

Raynar felt the Sarkan fighting off his mind trick and recalled a small bit of information that he had learned from Jedi Master Streen of Bespin, who had once tried the same technique on a Sarkan during a death stick bust on the homeworld of the Balosar—which shared the same title as them—thanks to a tip off from jealous Twi'lek ryll producers on Ryloth, who were also taken into then New Republic's custody. A Sarkan informant had fought off the mind trick—due to his species having a natural resistance to it—and alerted his fellows to the Jedi's intervention, and it had almost cost them the mission, but quick thinking had made sure that it had succeeded.

Thanking Streen for sharing the story, Raynar expanded his presence in the Force and said, "You will not ask questions about my presence here and will leave my ship alone unless I give someone a direct order for it to be used."

"We will not ask questions about you and will leave your ship alone unless you come or ask someone to tell us to do otherwise," they said.

Raynar nodded. "Thank you for your cooperation. Farewell."

Leaving his weak-minded companions behind, Raynar entered a hallway, and tried to come up with an idea to find the Queen Mother and not place her in danger by doing so. Every idea he thought up did little to assuage his annoyance at not knowing what he was supposed to do, as they all managed to bring Tenel Ka out of hiding and into the dangers of losing her much treasured privacy, a highly-guarded secret that could save her life multiple times over.

As Raynar passed through a corridor that was suspiciously barren of life, he felt the brief presence of two distinct females with him and paused, feeling them suddenly disappear from the Force. Bringing out his lightsaber, Raynar watched as the gold blade ignited, and found himself surrounded by two mysterious woman, one garbed in black robes and wielding a shock whip in front of him, and a woman who felt vaguely familiar that was wearing battle armor and revealed a yellow lightsaber as she stood behind him.

"I don't know who you are, or what you want, but know one thing before you decide to attack me," Raynar said, holding his lightsaber with both hands. "I will win."

As if in answer to his ultimatum, the woman wielding the shock whip struck first and sent the energy weapon at his lightsaber, almost preventing him from twisting it around to block the blade of the female Force user's lightsaber. Slashing through a bulkhead, Raynar dulled what light was left in the corridor, finding that the blast doors had closed behind him.

The woman with the lightsaber struck once more and he barely deflected it and decided to switch his form from the Ataru—less effective for confined fights—and moved it to a more appealing Makashi, which was better for dealing with lightsaber combat. The light whip almost snatched his leg, but Raynar propelled himself upward and turned around in the air to allow his feet to push him back to the ground, as he slammed it into the armored woman's lightsaber. She wheeled around and moved back from the fight, while the other woman fired off a blaster shot at him, but he deflected it with his shining gold blade, forcing her to remove the weapon from the battle for the moment, as it would do little to stop him.

Grimacing inwardly from battling longer than he was used to following his rehabilitation, Raynar let go of the lightsaber with his left hand for a moment and Force pushed the non-Force-sensitive woman to the side, but she moved away just in time to barely be affected by it, and sent a RGL-80 electronet grenade at him. Moving around, Raynar dodged the electronet grenade and telekinetically brought it back to its owner, placing her in the electronet, and causing her to cry out in pain. Feeling her distress in the Force, Raynar forgot about his other opponent and rushed to release her from its grasp, causing his foe to halt as she watched him deactivate the electronet and release the slightly stunned woman from inside, as he made sure that she was alright. The woman had little to no scarring on her from the electronet, and looked as if she would be able to pull out of it soon enough, which, to Raynar's surprise, she did, as she pushed herself off the ground and smashed him to the ground in a headlock.

"I have seen enough," a majestic voice said as a part of the wall opened next to him. "He is obviously not in the state of mind that the Temple led us to believe. Raynar, you may stand."

Feeling the woman's arms leave his head behind, Raynar dared to push himself up off of the floor, and look up at his savior, finding that he was in the presence of Queen Mother Tenel Ka Djo. His eyes widening, Raynar opened his mouth to speak, but found himself unable to do so, citing a feeling in the Force for not doing so. Tenel Ka stood a little taller than him, had gray hair and golden red hair. Her fair skin was complemented by the elaborate dress that she wore, and she smiled at him with the genetically perfect teeth expected of the Chume'da, as her lone lightsaber forged from the tooth of a rancor sat by the side of the remnants of her left arm, lost in a friendly spar with Jacen Solo years ago, the result of her own pride and arrogance.

"You have healed well, my old friend," Tenel Ka said.

"Thank you, Queen Mother," Raynar said, as he genuflected to her. "It is an honor."

"You may rise, Jedi Knight Raynar Thul. I can see that you are no threat to me."

Standing up, Raynar saw that Tenel was still smiling at him, as he watched both of the woman that had attacked him earlier stand by her side. Instantly he recognized one of them as Jedi Master Kirana Ti, who grinned at him.

"This, as you obviously know now, is Master Kirana Ti," Tenel Ka said. "She has been assigned to protect me by the Jedi Council, which is why you have not seen her lately."

"As you know, my cover story has told everyone that I am currently looking for a group of Siniteen that have joined up with the Charon who hope to conquer our Galaxy," Kirana said.

Raynar nodded and looked over to the other woman. "And you would be?" he asked.

"Shada D'ukal of the Mistryl Shadow Guard and second-in-command of Talon Karrde's Smugglers' Alliance," she said. "I was similarly assigned to protect the Queen Mother by Talon, who wishes to keep Hapes safe. Thank you for making sure I suffered unnecessary harm."

"It is my duty to respect all life, and I felt no real ill intent from you, so I decided that it would be safe for me to help you out."

"As it should always be," Tenel Ka said. "Now there is the matter of your being here that must be addressed immediately. I was alerted to your departure from the Temple by the Masters, who thought that you might wish me some harm, but it is a fact that this is not true."

Raynar grimaced. "I don't know exactly why, but I am here on the request of someone I met in a vision," he said. "He instructed me to come here, and on my way here I felt as if I was needed and that I must be with you. Obviously you are safe enough, so that must not be it, so I am at a loss to explain myself to you."

"Leave that to me. There is a Jedi looking for you named Dordi. She contacted me as well to warn me of your arrival, and she has been tasked to bringing you back to the Temple. This must not happen. I shall convince her to help you out, while you stay here and meditate on your next course of action."

Raynar considered her words. "That is acceptable. Let us leave now and quit the risk of exposing you to your enemies."

**2**

Vul Isen stepped into the prison facility on Gallinore that housed his quarry. Normally a Givin would stick out among the Hapans, but he cast an illusion across his body that made them all see a proud and handsome Hapan male. Typical of most Givin, Vul was barely twenty years old, had black eyes, and pale white skin that stood in stark contrast to his black attire.

Tasked by his masters on Korriban to join up with Durrei and help him with his studies into an entity that could give them untold power, Vul was a failed Sith whose Force-sensitivity was better used for the alchemic and scientific range of Force usage, and was thus looked down upon by his fellows for his supposed weaknesses. Caring not for their talk, Vul had disregarded their scorn and focused on his studies, becoming one of the stronger scientists in the One Sith community, earning the respect of Darth Krayt, even though he confined himself to the stasis fields used to keep him alive and young through the years.

"Good day, sir," a male attendant said. "What can I do for you?"

"You may die," Vul said, smiling as he brought out a group of bo'tous spores that entered the lungs of the male attendant and caused him to fall onto the floor in agony.

Moving into the area behind the now deceased attendant's desk, Vul looked through the files on the computer for prison inmates and found his intended target. Grinning, he looked at the room number and memorized it, while checking to make sure that the guards would not be near him when he captured his prey as he brought in a file that would set off an alarm several minutes after he left the prison with his catch.

Standing up, Vul left for the third floor, choosing to walk up the stairs rather than take the lift, as it would draw undo attention to his presence, and located his quarry's jail cell, and noticed that he was not the only one in the prison that could sense people in the Force. Deciding to pay no attention to the man's presence in the Force, Vul telekinetically opened the locks on the jail cell and walked inside once the door gently turned forward.

The lone occupant of the room stared at him as he entered, but did not speak for a small moment of time. They stared at one another for a while, each gauging the other's intentions.

"You may remove your disguise, my fellow Force-sensitive," the man said.

Nodding, Vul released his control of the illusion and said, "Sinsor Khal, so the rumors that I heard of you are true: You have indeed been taught in the ways of the Force."

"You have me at a disadvantage. You know my name and I don't know yours."

"I am Vul Isen. You will assist me in finding an artifact on a world in the Hapes Cluster. One that you have heard of before, but kept a secret in order to stay alive just in case you had need of a bargaining tool should the Queen Mother order your execution for illicit activities."

"Well, well, so you know of Millinar and some of its wonders."

"Millinar?"

"Or perhaps not. Very well, then, I shall assist you and whoever you are working for in exchange for my freedom. Let us leave then."

Vul smiled. "You catch on well, Sinsor Khal. Follow me. You will find that the guards will not notice our departure for some time, and when they do they shall be the victims of one of my lovely creations. I am quite proud of her. She will slay them all."

"And what would that be?" Sinsor asked.

"An alchemically changed chrysalis beast that was once a shyrack."

"Vul Isen, I believe that this is the start of a terrifying friendship."

**3**

Dordi waited for her StealthX to exit hyperspace, and dwelled inside of the Force, as she thought of her training. Her entire attempt to find Raynar Thul had gone wrong from the moment that she had set out for the journey. She had received communications from the Temple that had scolded her for her lack of following the vessel that contained him, which she was ashamed of.

To further her dismay, Raynar did not appear to even be a danger to those around him, as she had received an encoded message from the Queen Mother herself to land on a secret hangar bay far away from the confines of Hapes, in order to talk with Raynar and discover what her next path would be. Although she trusted Tenel Ka, Dordi was furious that the hunt had been forced to a close before she could even find her quarry. All Barabel were taught that the hunt was one of the most important aspects of their lives, and even members of the Jedi who happened to be of the Barabel race were taught such an idea, but in a more acceptable way.

Following the coordinates offered by Tenel Ka, Dordi came into orbit around the Corsair Outback planet called Stalsinek IV, populated by a group of beings known as the Stalsa, whose name was not known to those outside of the Outback due to their secrecy. Rumors abounded about the planet, and some spacers were under the impression that the Stalsa had a secret healing fountain on the planet that could cure almost any disease. The reports were never followed up on by Galactic Alliance scientists, and the Hapans had deemed the planet a total no-fly zone for any vessel that was not Hapan in ownership. To be offered a chance to land there meant that Dordi would be one of the few outsiders to ever set foot on it, but why she was doing so she did not know, as she had expected the Queen Mother to remain on Hapes, where she could rule from.

Landing at the coordinates provided by her allies, Dordi exited the StealthX and waited for someone to come to her and issue her to Tenel Ka. As she lingered, Dordi breathed in the soothing air of the rain forest she was in and relaxed by closing her eyes and dwelling on what she felt. It reminded her of Mawan, where she had fought with the native Mawan people to force a group of renegade Mugaari pirates had used slave seeds to force Mawan, Adarian, Riorian, and Ugnaught civilians to fight in their name following the turmoil left in the vacuum after the end of the Yuuzhan Vong War. Her Force senses brought to her attention a group of fellow sentients coming near her and she opened her eyes, finding Tenel Ka, Master Kirana Ti, a woman she did not know, and her former prey, Raynar, all approaching her.

"Jedi Knight Dordi, former padawan of Master Saba Sebatyne, thank you for coming here so quickly," Tenel Ka said, nodding in her direction.

"Thisz one iz pleasured to meet with you, Queen Mother," Dordi said, bowing her head in reverence. "But thisz one iz not pleased to zee your company."

"Raynar Thul has proven to me that he is not crazed and that he is not going to bring any harm unto me. If he had dared do such a thing, Shada D'ukal and Master Kirana Ti would have ended his attack permanently."

Dordi looked over to Raynar, who nodded at her. "Then what muzt thisz one do now? Thisz one waz informed that Raynar Thul was to be taken into her custody."

"Raynar, please tell Dordi of what you have seen while in my care."

"Yes, Queen Mother," Raynar said, moving over to and standing in front of Dordi. "My reason for leaving the Temple was that I received a vision, one that told me that I had to come here and find my new path upon arrival. I have been with Tenel Ka since then meditating on my future, and I found myself heading to Ylesia, where I was to assist a group that I must join in order to save the Galaxy. You accompanied me on this mission, and I humbly request that you come with me and find what it is that we are meant to do."

Dordi stared at Raynar for a moment, trying to figure out if he had enough power to sway two highly trained Jedi and a member of the Emberlene Mistryl Shadow Guard into allowing him free reign over the minds. For a normal Jedi, the idea was preposterous, but with Raynar it was likely, as he had once been in control of the entire Killik Colony, and they had taken over the minds of some of the greatest Jedi in the Order for a time. However, the only reason that he had been able to do that was because of the influence of the Killiks all offering their collective minds to him at once, as well as the influence offered by the Gorog controlled by Lomi Plo and Welk. To think that Raynar had retained such a power for years without Cilghal or any of the other Masters finding out was equally as preposterous as his control of his allies.

"What muzt be done now?" Dordi asked.

Raynar smiled for the first time. "Tenel Ka shall remain here in hiding with her guards while we set off for Ylesia. What exactly we do there is unknown to me, but I assume that it will present itself to us the moment that we arrive. For now your StealthX will dock inside of the _Star Traveler_ that I acquired from my friend, who assures me that he is fine and that he harbors no ill will toward you for attacking him earlier. Are you ready?"

"Barabel are always ready," Dordi said, sissing. "It is the prey that never is."

Dordi smiled inwardly, as few humans understood Barabel humor, and even when they did it was almost always unfunny to them.

"Be warned, though," Tenel Ka said. "Recently a prisoner escaped from his cell thanks to a being that we cannot identify. The man who was broken out is called Sinsor Khal, and he was one of our people's worst scientists, using his skills to experiment on human subjects without any proper experimentation to make sure nothing harmful would happen to them. It is no doubt a fact that his disappearance has something to do with what you are entering into, whatever that may be. Be on your guard and remember your training, and, as always: May be the Force be with you."

Raynar and Dordi bowed to her and said in unison, "And may it be with you as well, Queen Mother."

Accepting the offer, Tenel Ka waved them off, as Raynar and Dordi departed from her presence to enter the _Star Traveler_, which had been hidden to support the idea that no Hapan was on the planet, in order to protect the Queen Mother. Lifting off, Raynar felt that his newfound alliance with Dordi would not go well at first, but he suspected that the younger Barabel would eventually learn that she was meant for bigger things, a fact that he found himself comforted by.

Punching in the coordinates for Ylesia, Raynar activated the ship's hyperdrive and began their journey to the foreboding world, ready to find their path to their destinies.

A/N: Chapter 13 will return to Garindan and Maber Yeff and see what they have been up to since we saw them last. Two characters that have already appeared will be showing up as well. Until next time...


	14. Chapter 13

A/N: And another chapter is here. I didn't start on this one until I had reread the _Han Solo Trilogy _books in order to get a better feel for Ylesia's environment, so that's why it took a little longer than usual to get this done. Please let me know if there is anything that I need to change or edit. Thanks in advance and please enjoy.

Chapter 13

**Cha Raaba system, Ylesia, Peace City**

**1**

Curfew for the many slaves of Ylesia began every second day at the first hour, due to the planet's ten hour rotation around its sun. Due to the short period of time that it took for the planet to go around the sun, many of the inhabitants were unable to adapt to its shortness at first, mostly due to being used to longer rotational periods. Several species such as the Noghri, Caamasi, and Selonians took more time to adapt to the change, while others like the Pho Ph'eahian, Arkanians, and Lurmen took the adjustment better due to their planets having a faster period of rotation. The vast majority of slaves found themselves unable to compensate for this difference, and eventually died from a combination of constant labor and malnourishment.

Garindan, accustomed to the forty-eight hour rotations of his homeworld Kubindi, had taken forever to grown familiar with the massive difference in time, and now, even after having been there for over thirty years, he had difficulty sleeping. His quarters were cramped, and for the past five years of his life he had shared his bed with an enormous brown-haired Whiphid named Marakoloon that took up the majority of the bed with his massive girth. Formerly a very famous bounty hunter, Marakoloon had eventually developed a liking to obtaining carnivorous plants, which he sometimes used to kill his targets. During one such incident, Marakoloon had caught Sic-Six friend of the former Max Rebo Band musician Shawda Ubb who was commonly known by his stage name Rappertunie, and killed the Sic-Six. Enraged at the loss of his friend, Rappertunie had hired bounty hunters to track down Marakoloon and imprison him. In the midst of the mission, the leader of the bounty hunters—a male Skrilling—betrayed his fellows and sold Marakoloon to the Hutts, leading to his imprisonment on Ylesia. However, he had died less than a week before thanks to a mistaken attempt to eat a small Hoover, due to thinking that the being was non-sentient. Unfortunately for him, the Hoover had once been a mercenary, and killed him for daring to think of her as food, leaving Garindan's bed mercifully free of another body, and giving him room to sleep.

Maber Yeff's arrival, however, had caused him to lose this advantage, and now Garindan was forced to stay awake as the Makurth explained his plans for saving the people he had sold into slavery years ago. For the past few days, Garindan had politely listened to the plans and had offered valid criticisms, but he was beginning to regret his agreeing to join up with Maber, as the being had little to no plan to begin with.

In the dark of the confined slave quarters that they lived in now, Garindan and Maber Yeff argued their future paths, careful to keep the volume to as small a decibel as possible, as they knew the guards would be less than enthused to learn that two slaves had managed to fight off the affects of the Exultation.

"You are telling me that you came here in such a brilliant manner, and yet you reveal that you don't know what to do next," Garindan said.

"I didn't say that," Maber said. "I said that I know where they are, but I don't know what we should do to make sure they get out of here safely. Oh, and us, of course."

"Why of course. It would be so wonderful to allow them to leave and stay behind to get butchered by the Hutts. Perhaps our Vodran executioners would just torture us for a day and then leave us alone to wallow in our misery, and then kill us. Sounds wonderful."

"You are much too morbid, my friend. It would be best for us to focus on the positives that we have here that will work to our advantage later on in this fight for freedom."

"Because we have so much working for us at the present."

"You forget that we have our minds working fully now, Garindan, and that is our greatest advantage. No one suspects this of us and we can plan whatever we please in the meantime. Is this not as good as it is going to get for us?"

"I'd feel better if the odds weren't against us."

Maber chuckled. "You should spend more time around Corellians," he said. "After a brief time with them you will believe that there is no such thing as worrying about the odds."

"The only Corellian I knew was Han Solo, and I almost sold him out to the Empire for chump credits," Garindan said, lowering his voice.

"Let us not dwell on the past now, my friend, but on our objective."

"Because that makes me feel so much better."

"Hey you two," a gruff voice belonging to a Yuvernian male beneath them in the bottom bunk, "shut up or I'll kill you."

Taking the cue from their unhappy companion, Garindan and Maber discontinued their conversation and entered a brief sleep, waking up hours later to begin yet another day's work for their t'landa Til and Hutt masters.

**2**

Palazidar shambled forward into his palace on Nar Hekka, and gazed at his attendants that greeted him the moment he left his ship—the _Regal Destiny_, formerly owned by members of the House Pelagia who ruled in the Tapani sector. The typical allotment of dancers approached him, led by an enchanting Zeltron female wearing next to nothing, as well as a Gungan, who was followed closely by a medium-sized Chevin. Although happy with the capture of Shul Vaal days earlier, Palazidar had no time to deal with them and let out a short bellow to create a minor wave of sonic vibrations that sent his courtesans away from him. Cowering in fear at their master's show of force, his slaves cowered in fear and retreated to paths outside of his reach, allowing him the chance to move freely once more.

Behind him, Palazidar's Iotran and Quarren assistants dragged along the limp form of Shul Vaal, who was still succumbing to the affects of the Exultation, albeit slowly. Many times during their trip from Karazak, Palazidar had felt the Jedi Knight attempt to fight it off, and, in the midst of a stop on Circumtore, Shul had run away, barely being taken down by a group of Shell Hutts that Palazidar had hired to find him.

_I am beginning to wonder if keeping him alive is too much work for me, _Palazidar told himself as he walked down the hallways of his palace. _Durrei wants him alive, and I understand why, but I cannot abide by his constant refusal to bow down to my Exultation. I have never had to bring down a Jedi before. (Perhaps I should place him in carbonite.) When the Yuuzhan Vong invaded my world, it took all I had to fight them off with the Exultation and force them to submit to my will. Those were dark days, but still nothing compared to what it was like back then._

Originally Palazidar had been one of many Sacredots across Ylesia and Jubilar during the days of the Galactic Empire. At the time he had been young and had cared little for his work as a bringer of slaves to the spice plants, leading to him to not focus on his Exultation practices, and this had led to his infamous state in the inner workings of the Sacredot to be noted as lazy, since he had fallen asleep while performing the Exultation on slaves inside the sacred Mountain of the Exalted. For years he had been ridiculed by his peers for his slipup and had been forced off of Ylesia as a result, letting him escape the planet's destruction during the first Battle of Ylesia, where the Rebel Alliance under former slave Bria Tharen, who had double crossed all of the smugglers that she had allied with, stole the spice to help fund the Alliance.

Due to this fortuitous exchange, Palazidar was one of the few trained Sacredots left in the entire Hutt Empire, causing him to be promoted almost instantly within the Besadii clan, as they needed experienced practitioners of the Exultation to begin the process anew, this time on Nar Hekka, where he had used Vippit slaves due to their susceptibility to Exultation. Using his new power, Palazidar used the planet's hothouse domes to supply places for the slaves to work, while training new t'landa Til initiates to become Sacredots. However, during the Yuuzhan Vong War it had been taken over by Nas Choka, forcing Palazidar to flee to Near Pando, where he had been forced to join up with the Hutt resistance and fight off the Yuuzhan Vong, eventually making the invaders to leave Hutt Space permanently, even though some had settled on Dirha and Irith after the signing of the Sekot Accords.

Now free of Yuuzhan Vong oppression, the various Hutt clans had worked together in an unprecedented way in order to make sure that their economy would remain stable, and most of them had joined up and resettled Ylesia as a ground for slave labor to make spice. Palazidar, who had been heralded across the Hutt Empire for his successful recovery of Kor Besadii, was given control of Ylesia, and offered free reign over the way that it was run, even though it had been under the organization of another Sacredot for years.

Forcing away his thoughts of the past for now, Palazidar entered his private chambers and gathered some belongings that he had left behind the last time he had visited Nar Hekka. None of them held much value to him, but he figured that if his ship had to dock to resupply that he might as well take them with him before he left.

"Sacredot, we have finished refueling the _Regal Destiny_," a short Dressellian male who had a Wol Cabasshite situated on his shoulder said. "We are ready to return to Ylesia."

Looking down at the Dressellian, Palazidar nodded and left his chamber behind, ready to return to his place of work once more and to continue his role as one of the richest beings in the entire Galaxy.

**3**

Garindan began the long journey to the spice fields with Maber Yeff by his side, while wishing that his goggles could protect his eyes better. Alongside a vast crowd of at least five thousand sentients, the two were nondescript beings working alongside more of their kind.

"If only I could find them," Maber said, as he moved down the spice fields.

"It's possible," Garindan said. "Unlikely, though, as you have never actually told me who they are or what their names are. I do have contacts on this world that could help our search."

"Can you trust them? I don't want this mission to be compromised."

"If I am using them to gather information, then I trust them completely."

"Okay, if you do," Maber said, but halted once a Cyborrean overseer noticed their slowed movements and glared at them to continue to work.

Doing as the being had indirectly asked, Garindan and Maber moved beside an elderly Skup who was trying to pick up a fallen comrade of the Tocoyan race. The Cyborrean noticed the Tocoyan lying on the ground and shot him with his Sevari Flashpistol, killing the Tocoyan instantly. The Skup, horrified at what had just happened, lost his balance for a moment and fell on the ground as well, but quickly picked himself up and hurried back to work, knowing full well the consequences for not following the orders of his superiors.

Confident that the Cyborrean was focused on other problems, Maber continued to talk with Garindan, saying, "One year before the Ismaren plot on Belsavis, an Anomid slaver named Magris Quill held four slaves in his grasp that had once belonged to a Chevin slaver who went by the name Phylus Mon. They were K'Mi, a Kushiban who had been sold to Magris years before the Battle of Yavin along with the others; Ook, a Cragmoloid noted for his vast size and brute strength; Vor Essen, a Nagai who had lost his brother Kor to a Kamino saberdart; and Ku-Kak, a Force-sensitive wampa who had found out that his master had implanted an explosive inside of him and rebelled against him only to be sold like the rest of them to Magris. They've been with each other since before the Clone Wars and are quite close with each other, so much that they were able to bond together and escape Magris by killing him and taking his vessel for their own. They lived for years together and had stayed like this for some time."

Maber paused as the Cyborrean eyed them for a moment, but they continued to work in unison in order not to give up their ruse.

"During the Yuuzhan Vong War they were a part of the refugees that had gathered on Azure, but they were attacked by the Peace Brigade and captured. I was one of the ones who took them under our control. As you know I had been attempting to find a way out of the world that I had entered to no avail, but I was assigned to guard them and learned of their past. I told them that I would give them their freedom, but I was unable to help them, and now I will do whatever it takes to find them and make good on my promise."

"A wampa?" Garindan repeated. "A Force-sensitive wampa? That should be easy to find, especially since there's a Nagai involved as well. You don't meet too many of them out here in our Galaxy. Come to think of it, all four of them sound like they would stick out if I checked out for them with my contacts. Leave it to me and I'll find them for you, Maber."

"Thank you, my friend. If you believe that this will be settled easily, then we have only two more problems to face: How to get rid of the Exultation and how to get them and ourselves out of here safely. Is there anything I'm missing?"

"Not that I can think of—What are they doing over there?"

Maber looked over to where Garindan was pointing and watched as a vast Yahk-Tosh brought in a severely wounded Twi'lek male near the field they were working in and dropped him right next to them.

"See to it that this slave is told the proper ways of producing spice," it said and marched away from them, leaving them alone with the Twi'lek.

Moving first, Maber picked up the Twi'lek and gently touched his face, asking, "Are you okay? What kind of injuries have you sustained?"

"Nothing that cannot be healed by myself," the Twi'lek said, opening his eyes to look at them. "And I am as fine as one can be when given this situation to live out. I am Shul Vaal."

"Maber Yeff, and my friend here is Garindan. Get up or they will punish you."

Grunting, Shul lifted himself up from the ground and stood next to them, looking as if he had been severely drugged for the past few days.

"You are suffering from what is called the Exultation," Garindan said. "It is—"

"I do not mean to interrupt, but I know what the Exultation is and how it works," Shul said. "I can sense that you are well-meaning beings and you will not betray me, so I will let you in on a little secret before you teach me of the spice production."

"You are a Jedi," Maber said, causing Shul to open his mouth. "You mentioned that you could heal yourself, so I assumed this to be what you are. Am I correct?"

Shul nodded. "Are my instincts correct? Can I trust you? I am weak right now, and my ability to understand everything that comes into my mind is not functioning as well as usual."

Garindan approached him and said, "Then to earn your trust, I shall give you a secret that I have managed to keep in the dark for years once it was first discovered: I am Garindan, the one who sold Luke Skywalker out before he was able to destroy the Death Star. And Maber Yeff is a former member of the Peace Brigade, who is here to rescue some refugees that he sent here some time ago during the Yuuzhan Vong War. We are also planning an escape to the Galactic Alliance in order to find our true paths."

Shul stared at Garindan for a moment, but then said, "Then we have the same goals. It seems that the Force is still on my side after all. Tell me of how to work here and I will help you get home again, and help you redeem yourselves. Are we agreed?"

Making sure that the guards weren't looking, Maber, Shul, and Garindan shook hands and began working on their escape back to the Galactic Alliance.

A/N: Chapter 14 will return to see what Malinza, Zomil, and Tiu are doing, as they find themselves targeted by Gumbrak Hoxz on Pzob. Until next time...


	15. Chapter 14

A/N: Hello again, everyone. Special thanks goes to SWEU-Freak for his review on this site, even though he's been sending them to me for the past thirteen chapters. I don't mind the fact that all of you reviewing this story do so by e-mail, but I still appreciate the gesture on his part to give the review here. If you feel like doing the same, then so be it, but I'm perfectly content with your e-mails. Now for the story: Please let me know if there is anything I need to fix. Thanks in advance and please enjoy.

Chapter 14

**Herios sector, K749 system, Pzob**

**1**

"This is Blanco of the Pzob Landing Zone Committee," an aged Ikotchi female said from the hologram that appeared next to Malinza Thanas. "Please state your intent in coming here and when you plan to leave the docking bay you have entered."

Malinza and Zomil exchanged glances, as Tiu Zax sat behind them and calmed herself in the Force, while feeling the strong presence of Shul Vaal near her again.

"This is Captain Malinza Thanas and we are here to resupply and then leave in order to head over to Shinbone where we are due to meet with our sponsors for our next line of work," Malinza said. "We shouldn't stay here too long, but we intend to support any of the local places of business that you would recommend for us to go to while we are here."

"A very interesting answer, Captain Thanas, and it is one that I can help you out with," Blanco said. "As for your entertainment, I would suggest the Kitonak Jade, which is one of the best cantinas on the planet. It's owned by a nice Amani called Heksa who's always ready to offer you a good deal on your drinks. And, if you're into this sort of thing, you can watch the annual duels at the Pzob Forest Battle Yard. I hear they can be quite entertaining."

"Thank you for the advice. Thanas out."

Turning off the hologram, Malinza almost spoke, but she noticed Zomil tensing up by her side and closed her mouth to look at him. Completely unaware of his surroundings, Zomil had begun shivering, as if all the ship's life support systems had failed at once, and had widened his eyes to a dangerous margin. Tiu, noticing the same change in Zomil's appearance, sent a wave of calming energies over to him, causing his heart to slowly begin to decrease its rapid movements and he regained control over his awareness, but said nothing to explain his actions.

"Are you okay, Zomil?" Tiu asked, checking the Defel's presence in the Force.

"Is nothing," he said, grimacing. "It will not hinder us any longer. Is time to leave now."

"Listen, Zomil, I think it's time that you tell us what you—" Malinza started to say, but she was interrupted by Zomil.

"It is nothing that will hinder us! Is time to leave!"

Gathering his belongings, Zomil left them behind to exit the _Hindsight_.

"Is he ever like this?" Tiu asked, watching the Defel exit the cockpit.

Malinza frowned. "No, I've never seen him act like this before," she said. "Something about that Battle Yard frightened him, but I have no idea what it could be."

"Then we should find out later and use our time to locate Shul before it's too late."

**2**

Gumbrak Hoxz stared out from the viewing room of the Gamorrean Interstellar skyhook that remained in the atmosphere of Quiberon V, even after the destruction of the majority of the planet's infrastructure following an attack during the Second Galactic Civil War by several rogue elements of the Galderian Slave Traders. Hailing from the planet Galdar, the Traders had been seen by most sentients as a myth, due to the fact that Galdar was reported as being ambiguously true in its existence, mostly because of improper cartographers who had failed to report the world and its people in their atlases. Using such confusion, the pirates had attacked Quiberon V, which had been one of many worlds colonized by the Gamorrean Interstellar organization, a loosely close group of Gamorreans who had decided that branching away from Gamorr would help their species grow in importance across the Galaxy. Although the planet was primarily operated as a mining colony, where neutronium was gathered and distributed to various groups throughout the Galaxy, where it was highly sought after by criminals and legitimate businessmen alike.

As one of those criminals, Gumbrak had taken a hold of the major mining corporations on the planet and had led a fleet of ships to decimate the Galderian Slave Traders that had come to the planet, wiping most of them out in one battle. The skyhook had been one of his designs that had become a part of the planet's infrastructure, due to his need to have extravagant areas to do business in with his allies, one of the primary reasons why he had also began to civilize Pzob in certain regions of the planet.

Ever since he had been forced to flee Coruscant during the Purge, Gumbrak had vowed to never remain on a planet that had a reputation as being completely civilized, as it might attract undue attention to himself and cause him to be killed by members of the Inquisitorius. Thanks to his distinct knowledge of the Galaxy, he had started off as a nobody on Borgo Prime, where he had fled to the moment he had managed to gain passage off of Coruscant. From there he had left to become a part of a Pa'lowick smuggling ring on Taloraan, eventually departing the gas giant to head his own organization on Zonju V, where he had become involved with agents allied with the Disciples of Ragnos, which caused him to be targeted by Jaden Korr, but he had managed to escape the Jedi by leaving a double in his place. Now deprived of his major base of operations, Gumbrak moved to Zeta 0-9, where he had taken over the abandoned Imperial based and began his operations anew, bringing in contraband to various agencies within the Imperial Remnant, who could never locate him or stop his shipments from pouring in. However, the arrival of the Yuuzhan Vong had changed his plans to remain on Zeta 0-9, and Gumbrak had fled to the other side of the Galaxy and renewed his work on Pzob, where he had stayed ever since the end of the War, never gaining much notice from Galactic Alliance personnel and leaving him untouchable in his private sector of the Galaxy.

For years Gumbrak had gained many powerful allies in his business and caused those who opposed him to die in excruciating ways in the dueling rings of the Battle Yard that he had constructed on Pzob to ensure that the native Gamorreans would not bother him, as they would be too busy betting on the fights to war among themselves. One of his allies had proven to be a vast resource to him, one that seemed to always bring him whatever he needed. Gumbrak had first heard of the enigma who went by the name Durrei right after the Killik invasion of the Blood Carver homeworld of Batorine, when a shipment of Anoat Malted had almost been taken by the membrosia-crazed Kamarian raiders, but the supplies had been saved at the last moment by a ship allied with Durrei had saved it and given it back to Gumbrak free of charge. Amazed at the generosity of his unknown benefactor, Gumbrak had arranged a meeting with the man, but he had been unable to meet him face to face, as Durrei preferred using holograms to contact those that he had decided were worthy of his true attention. Durrei had demanded nothing of Gumbrak at the time, but had told him that he had heard of the contempt that Gumbrak held for the Jedi and that he shared this hatred, so much that he was willing to ally with Gumbrak in a way that would be beneficial for both of them. To prove himself once more, Durrei had a Yuzzum Jedi that Gumbrak had known before the Purge called Enver Hoxha, given to Gumbrak, who had then killed the Yuzzum immediately, sealing their working arrangement.

Even though Gumbrak had never met Durrei, he trusted him implicitly enough to help him with whatever he asked, which had led him to involve himself with a nobody like Three-Eye as a means to acquire Shul Vaal, even though he wanted to kill the Jedi. However, Durrei said that he had plans for the healer and that they would lead to the deaths of all the Jedi that would dare attack them. Having seen all the parts of Durrei's plans, Gumbrak had agreed to it and was now preparing to enact another phase of the plan.

"Master Hoxz, there is a message for you from a man claiming to be a Mr. Durrei," a small female Swokes Swokes said.

Gumbrak moved away from the viewing room's window and nodded. "I shall take it right now," he said. "Hand me the holographic projector and be gone from my presence."

"Yes, sir," she said, handing the projector to him.

"Are you well, my friend?" the blue form of Durrei asked.

"As well as one can be in this situation, Durrei," Gumbrak said. "Where are you?"

"I am currently on Athiss, specifically in its desert regions researching an ancient text that I received regarding the location of a Sith artifact. I was misled it seems, but it does not matter to me at this moment in time. I have better things to worry about than wasted time."

"It is good to know that you are so mature about your problems. Now why is it that you have contacted me? Have they arrived as you have foreseen?"

"Yes, it appears that Malinza, Zomil, and Tiu have landed on Pzob not but moments ago. I would stress that you depart now to make sure they are dealt with properly."

"It shall be done, Durrei. I will contact you once they are disposed of."

"That is all I ask of you. Good luck."

Shutting off the holographic projector, Gumbrak departed from the inside of the viewing room to begin his preparations for his exodus to Pzob.

**3**

Malinza scanned the crowds of Pzob and frowned, wishing that there was any easier way to figure out where Shul Vaal had been taken to. Tiu claimed to feel his presence near them, but they had failed to find a trace of his physical form anywhere near them, leading them to remain in the Kitonak Jade, where they had kept it as a base of operations, deciding to use it based on its proximity to the majority of the popular attractions on the planet.

Conversing with an Elom drunk, Malinza asked, "So when did all this happen? I've never heard of Pzob being anywhere close to having a proper civilization. Then again, I've also never seen an Elom who was by himself. I always thought you were social creatures by nature."

"I would be what you humans call a misfit among my people," the Elom, Vigrriev, said. "Used to work for Jabba the Hutt, if you can believe that; I was on an assignment on Anaxes given to me by one of his lieutenants—you know that Kian'thar thug called Lleag'Mak—when I found out about his death. Good riddance if you ask me, but you don't really care about me, so I'll tell you about this turnaround that Pzob experienced. It happened a couple of years under the Galactic Alliance's noses when this Mon Calamari comes and sets up his organization here, and not the good kind if you understand me. It's alright, though, because he makes up for it now."

"I see, so what exactly did he do to make things change here."

"Got some of the Gamorrean tribes to join up and stop killing each other by settling any of their disputes in the Battle Yard. You don't know how hard that was for him to do, but he took care of it soon enough and now the only ones who fight are those too stupid to understand that the tribal wars were ended forever ago. He's quite a genius if you ask me, and he's also helped out by giving vaccinations to the native populace for any of the diseases that make their way on to the planet. Don't get me wrong, though, he's still a criminal, but a smart one at that."

"Does he deal in slavery or prisoner exchanges?" Malinza asked.

"Now that's a specific question," Vigrriev said. "Why do you ask?"

"Heard from a buddy of mine that some of his friends had been sold to some Senex slave traders on Triton and Mustafar by the guy in charge here, not that I care mind you, I'm just a bit curious about it, so I know who I'll be dealing with later."

"Oh, so you know Gumbrak Hoxz then? I suppose that makes you okay in my mind. He does deal in selling beings across the Galaxy, and he's specialized in using dead worlds like old Ithor and Sernpidal to avoid being targeted by Galactic Alliance fleets. Oh, hold on, I'm getting a call from an old partner. If you'll excuse me."

Moving away from her, Vigrriev entered a corner—still close enough for her to begin an attempt to eavesdrop—and activated his holographic projector, revealing a Tarnab standing on a field near what appeared to be Oridin City on Fondor, but was more than likely the facsimile that had been created on Taanab by a group of Fondorian and Troig businessmen.

"The exchange was made," the Tarnab said. "The Jedi is in Gumbrak's hands now, and has been dealt with properly following his arrival."

"Good," Vigrriev said. "Keep me posted of any further news. Vigrriev out."

Turning off the projector, Vigrriev almost turned around, but he felt the front end of a blaster behind his back and froze.

"Listen up, scum," Malinza said, making sure that Vigrriev knew her safety was off by deactivating it for the moment. "You'll tell me where I can find Shul Vaal and how long you've been working with this Gumbrak Hoxz without telling me about it, and then tell me everything that I need to know in order to get my ally returned to my friends and me."

"So be it," Vigrriev said. "I have been with Hoxz for years untold and he will have your friend in his inner sanctum at least a klick away from here; can't miss it, it's the only large house here. He is ruthless and you will not be able to retrieve your friend. I advise you to give up this fool's quest or end up as the slave of some noble on Kuat, just like your mother must have been."

"I'll do no such thing, and you won't be telling Gumbrak of my arrival, either."

Before the Elom could react, Malinza switched the settings on her blaster to stun and shot Vigrriev in the back, knocking him unconscious as he fell to the floor. The disturbance brought out the attention of the cantina's patrons, including a rather large Xexto bouncer accompanied by a Phuii attendant, who both stared at Malinza, awaiting an explanation.

"Kriffer called my mother a whore," she said, leaving the cantina to make sure that she wasn't kicked out of it.

Stepping out into the street, Malinza activated her comm. and contacted Zomil, who had been investigating with Tiu, using her sensitivity to Shul in order to locate him. "I've got some news for you two," she said. "Shul's being kept by a gangster named Gumbrak Hoxz in a place that is exactly a klick away from the Kitonak Jade. Where are you now?"

"Is there already, Captain," Zomil said. "Tiu got tip from Dug informant. Come when you are ready, but we have entered ourselves. Know this: Is time for Er'Kit to grow pale."

Malinza paused when she noted the secret command that Zomil had given her that no one else could decipher. "Understood. I'm on my way there. Be careful you two."

"Is middle name, no?"

Malinza shut off the communicator and clenched her fist, knowing that Tiu and Zomil had been captured by Gumbrak's forces due to the code phrase that Zomil had given to her. It had first evolved during a stint on Honoghr, where Zomil had been captured by a group of Er'Kit pirates that they had been tracking down, and had thought himself able to escape from them with his own power. However, he had failed, forcing Malinza to rush to his aid, saving him and also taking in the Er'Kit pirates into Noghri custody. From then on, they agreed to use the phrase, "Is time for Er'Kit to grow pale" as a means to show that they were in a situation that they could not escape from without outside assistance. How Malinza would break them out, though, she didn't know, as somehow a trained Jedi Knight and experienced bounty hunter had been captured with apparent ease. For her to attack the base was nothing short of suicide.

Pushing such thoughts aside, Malinza rummaged through the gathered crowds of Gamorrean and Roonan market traders, and continued on the path to Gumbrak Hoxz's base of operations, not knowing what she could do to protect her friends.

**4**

"Malinza is coming, no?" Zomil said. "Release Tiu from ysalamir presence. Is hurtful to see her like this."

Gumbrak gave the Mon Calamari equivalent of the human smirk, as he watched one of his Chalactan assistants holding a vibroblade up to Tiu Zax's neck, who tensed up when it came closer to her skin. Behind them was an olbio tree holding three ysalamir that projected an intense Force bubble that prevented Tiu from finding a way out of the Chalactan's grasp.

"You have no right to tell me what to do, Zomil of Reuss VIII," Gumbrak said.

Zomil paused, letting the words flow through his mind. "How do you know of this? No one is left who could connect the past with this one's present."

"But there was, and I imagine that the families of Gorge and Greel would be unhappy to learn that the being who gave the Tolanese bounty hunter Var'Rotha Fin'Rotha the location of their establishment is still alive. I hear he was quite ruthless when he killed them."

"Zomil did not know he would kill them. He only wished to find a way to escape. Was getting tired of killing people in the ring. Is wrong to do so, no?"

"Unfortunately for you, the answer is no, and you will do it for me."

"But why would you make him fight again?" Tiu asked, braving the vibroblade to speak. "Whatever mistakes he made in the past are irrelevant. Besides, why would you do all of this? I am one of your fellow Force-sensitives. Whatever you have against us, we can work past it."

Gumbrak's eyes betrayed the anger underneath them. "I escaped the Purge. I saw how the Jedi treated the Galaxy, so much that the people rebelled against us and killed us. We are simply an aberration to the denizens of the Galaxy and must be exterminated. I will bring that about."

"But you're one yourself! How can you act so hypocritically?"

"Because when I kill the last aberration, I shall kill myself. However, that day is nowhere near us, now is it? For now you will entertain my people, who will fund my operations to kill all of you, not knowing of my true plans. It's never been about the credits, it was for justice."

"Is flawed logic," Zomil said. "Killing only makes other killers."

Gumbrak smiled. "Oh, I know that, and you shall prove it on the ring. Zomil of Reuss VIII and Tiu Zax of Omwat, you will face each other in the dueling ring and fight until one of you is dead, then I shall kill the victor. Have a pleasant night."

Exchanging glances, Tiu and Zomil shared their mutual terror at their future, and hoped that Malinza would find a way to let them escape before they were forced to kill each other in order to appease the deranged mind of a fallen Jedi.

They would be waiting for a long time.

A/N: The next chapter will return to Ken, Tash, Danni, and Kunra, as they find that they are being followed by Ram, and that the being contacting them has new orders for them. This should be finished relatively soon, more than likely before the weekend. Until next time...


	16. Chapter 15

A/N: Got to this one much sooner than I had expected, which is always a pleasant surprise. I've lost my traffic ability again for some reason, but thanks to Sapadu I know that the reviews are working, even though she probably won't see this message for a while since she just started reading this fan-fic, but when you do get here, I want to extend my thanks to you. Now for the story: Please let me know if there is anything here that requires my attention or needs to be changed. Thanks in advance and please enjoy.

Chapter 15

**Abrion sector, Rishi system, Rishal**

**1**

Ken Elegin waited patiently in the room that he had chosen for his living quarters on the _Shroud_ for Kunra to return with his coralskipper, which he had taken out of the ship in order to feed it on the raw materials abundant on the lifeless planet below. Like all living creatures, the coralskipper required sustenance to survive, and even with thousands of years of Yuuzhan Vong bioengineering, it still had to sate its hunger by eating rocks and precious metals that would later be used as weapons when the coralskipper was forced into combat. Having experienced firsthand the fighting abilities of the coralskipper over Felucia and Ansion, Ken knew that it was a very good thing that they had one to help protect themselves with should they come under attack on their way to Pzob, but he figured that such an attack was less than likely to occur.

_I wish I could know more of what we're supposed to be doing here, _he thought, entering a state of meditation to calm himself down. _I don't like being told where to go and only having the vaguest of ideas about what I'm meant to do once I find these people. I don't even know where we're supposed to end up once I finally gather everyone. This is far too confusing._

Using a technique devised by Luke Skywalker called Heji tal, Ken let go of his thoughts and attempted to enter the Force. However, the thought of his old Master caused Ken to lose his control over the meditation, and he found himself entering a dream-like state where he felt as if he were physically on the planets he saw.

He was on Bespin, fighting against Zorba and Trioculus with Lando Calrissian and his allies, barely escaping when the Hutt and three-eyed Imperial attempted to use his powers for their own gain by using the Force properly for the first time. The vision shifted to Duro, where he had accidentally tagged along to a mission and met his father for the first time. It had been years since Ken had seen his father's face and he reached out for him, but the vision moved once more, causing him to barely miss touching Triclops's left cheek. He found himself on Yavin IV, and watched as he helped defeat the false Prophets of the Dark Side, and then given the chance to become one of the first Jedi ever taught by Luke Skywalker. The image faded away to yet another world, this one becoming 23 Mere, the location of a rescue he had participated in a year before the Yuuzhan Vong War and where he had almost lost his life there thanks to inadvertently riling up a nest of introduced k'lor'slugs and getting poisoned, an act that forced him to draw on dark side energies in order to heal it, leaving him fearful of his actions. The vision morphed once more, landing him on Exodeen, where he had helped the native Exodeenian and Unet fight off the large Yuuzhan Vong occupation force, eventually liberating the planet with the arrival of a Jedi fleet led by Jaina Solo, who he had argued against earlier, saying that he hadn't needed any help offered by the Jedi, due to some problems he had entered that were as much his fault as they had been Kenth Hamner's.

"Enough of this," Ken said, moving his arms outward and creating a pulsation of Force energy that pushed the misty vision world away. "I want answers and I want them now. I assume that you have created this world for me to see for some reason and I want to know why, and I want to know who you are and exactly what you want from me."

In response to his demands, the vision changed immediately, and he found himself in the presence of the same being that had contacted him the first time he had encountered such a portal to what the future held for him, only the being was far more defined in this vision. Looking up at the gargantuan figure, Ken found a serpentine figure surrounded by a vague mist that hid some of his features, but allowed the majority of the being's body to be seen properly. The underside of the being was covered in pure silver, while the regions of his back that Ken could see held a pale blue coloration that shimmered in the light of the world that were on.

_Hello, Master Ken Elegin, _he said. _You have come for answers. I will offer some, but I must caution that I cannot reveal everything yet. There is a man out there who seeks to invade this vision in order to steal my secrets from you. I will tell what I can to help you, though._

Ken nodded. "You are a Star Dragon, aren't you?" he asked. "A Duinuogwuin?"

_Indeed I am, and I am also delightfully surprised that you could surmise this from just my appearance. My race isn't known for their openness toward other sentients. _

"Everyone with a degree in anthropology knows about your people. People have been researching you ever since the Duinuogwuin Contention trying to figure out your abilities and where you originate from. Do you know how many searches there have been to try and find the Graveyard of the Dragons? I went on one myself thirty years ago."

_My people believe in secrecy, so much that you know very little of us as a consequence, which shall hinder your investigations into the mission I have for you, and I am sorry to say that I cannot reveal too much, as we are being watched right now._

"Who is watching us? Where are they? Tell me and I'll make sure they don't cause us any more trouble."

_I cannot. You must go to Pzob, and nowhere else for now. Events must transpire this way, or all will be lost. I cannot risk more lives than I have already. _

The Duinuogwuin paused for a moment, as if he had noted another presence in the vision.

"Is something wrong?" Ken asked. "What's going on?"

_He is indeed here and watching us, _the Duinuogwuin said. _Our time is short. Ken, I ask you a favor as a father…protect my child from those who would use him for evil. While all of my people do not believe in the dark side, we do know that the Force can be used to spread the will of despicable beings who wish nothing but to harm others. Even if his life must be ended, I beg of you to help my child and to protect the Galaxy in order to make up for my mistakes._

"But I still need more information from y—"

_There is no time! Swear it to me, Master Elegin! Swear that you will protect my child!_

Feeling it was the proper thing to do, Ken said, "I swear it."

_Then may the Force be with you._

Watching the vision fade away, Ken barely registered the fact that he was back inside of his quarters and that someone was knocking on his door. Shaking aside his thoughts, Ken stood up and opened the door, finding a haggard-looking Tash Arranda staring back at him, while one of the small viewing ports showed that they had returned to hyperspace, most likely activated by Danni, as Kunra still had an aversion to mechanical technology.

"Ken," she said, softly, "we need to talk about my actions. May I come in?"

Nodding, Ken opened the room's door further and allowed her to step inside. He watched her enter and looked her over to see how she was holding up since he had last seen her, finding that a sense of despair was still inside of her mind, but it was much smaller than the last time that he had felt it in her. Her hair was unkempt and her face appeared sunken, while her eyes revealed that she had spent the last few days in a never-ending crying spell.

"I need to apologize," Tash said, a firm tone added to her voice.

"Apologize?" Ken repeated. "For what?"

"You know what, Ken. I lost myself there on Lehon for a moment. I brought out a part of me that I thought that I had rid myself of for years. I fell, Ken…I was lost in my own darkness."

"Tash, you had just lost your brother. Zak had died right in front of you, and you want to apologize for losing yourself momentarily because of it?"

"Did Kyp Durron fall when Miko died?" Tash asked. "Did Jaina fall to her own darkness when Jacen became Darth Caedus? No, they didn't."

"But they were highly-trained Jedi, Tash. They have been taught from the very beginning of their training to be careful about their own emotions and think things through. You weren't as well taught as them and therefore you couldn't be ready for—"

"Don't make excuses for me, Ken! It wouldn't have mattered and you know it!"

Ken paused, unprepared for her outburst and for his flimsy arguments to be corrected by her so quickly. Instead of talking back, he remained silent and waited for Tash to speak again.

"I lost myself there, Ken. It happened because I was foolish enough to let my feelings get in the way of sanity. Zak and I were close, but he would never have wanted me to act like that ever again, even if he did die. I have no one to blame but myself for what I did." Tash stopped for a moment, and smiled at Ken. "And I have no one to thank for bringing me back but you."

"Tash, I did what anyone would have done for you—"

"Ken, please shut up until I tell you to speak again. You're too kriffing humble for your own good. You saw what was happening to me and you stopped it immediately, because you've seen what happens to people that lose themselves to the dark. Your own father was accused of being like that, and if it weren't for the letter he gave you, then you might have thought that he was as evil as the man he claimed his father to be. I've had some time to think about what I did ever since we left Zak behind, and I want to ask you to forgive me. If you can help me, then I promise you that nothing like this will ever happen again. You can speak now, if you'd like to."

Ken's face softened up and he smiled, saying, "Of course I can forgive you, Tash. And I also promise you that I will make sure that I will do everything in my power to prevent you from ever entering a situation like that again."

Tash smiled again and reached for Ken, hugging him fiercely. "Thank you," she said. "I missed you so much. I'm sorry for everything I said to you back then about the Yevetha."

Ken, surprised by the embrace, barely let out, "It's alright, Tash. It's all in the past now."

Before Tash could offer a reply, the sound of weapons fire entered their ears and the ship rocked from the blow, as they felt it exit hyperspace.

"Ken!" Danni's voice shouted from the comlink situated closest to them. "I need you up here now! We're being attacked by a vessel of unidentified origin!"

Breaking off the embrace mutually, Ken and Tash sprinted out of his quarters and headed to the bridge, where they found Danni attempting evasive maneuvers as Kunra stared out of the cockpit's viewport to discover the identity of their attacker. Danni acknowledged Ken and Tash by waving them over and pointing to the control systems, which were all acting up.

"I have no idea what to do here!" Danni shouted. "I just entered the atmosphere of the main planet of this system—Varristad, it seems—and we can't get out of here yet! What am I supposed to do? I'm an astrophysicist not a pilot!"

"I'll take the controls," Tash said, sitting in the pilot's chair. "Ken, scan that ship now so we can figure out what we're up against."

"It is of Mandalorian design," Kunra said, still looking out the viewport. "I fought against many of these when I was still of the warrior caste."

"There must still be some Mandalorians left from Lehon," Ken said, examining the vessel with the _Shroud's _scanners. "Yep, Kunra's right, that vessel is of Mandalorian origins, and the computer says it's a _Pursuer_-class enforcement ship calling itself the _Adennate_."

"What do we do now?" Danni asked, just as blaster fire hit the top part of their hull.

"I'm taking us out of this atmosphere first," Tash said. "The _Shroud's _equipped with enough weapons to fight back, but we're going to have a hard time doing that without a good amount of maneuverability. Do we still have the coralskipper?"

"We do," Kunra said.

"Good, then I'm going to ask you to pilot it and attack the _Adennate_."

"Then I shall take my leave."

"What about the rest of us?" Ken asked as Kunra left them for the coralskipper.

"You two head down to the turrets and buy me some time. I'm going to try and use a tractor beam once we get out of this atmosphere to mess up the other ship's course a little."

"Got it," Ken said, departing the cockpit with Danni.

As they made their way down to the turrets, Ken noticed that Danni was feeling a bit wary of their trip for some reason, and asked, "What's wrong?"

"Nothing's wrong that I can think of," Danni said. "Tash seems to have made a quick recovery. Is she stable enough to get us out of here?"

Ken smiled. "That and more. Don't worry about her, because she's going to prove that she's alright as soon as we give her the chance to."

"If you say so," Danni said as she entered the top turret, while Ken dropped down into the lower turret.

Bringing the trigger into his fingers, Ken opened fire on the _Adennate_, barely hitting the vessel as it swerved to the right to avoid his blasts. Danni attempted to lay down suppressing fire in order to force it to move back, but her shots went wild, the result of her next to no experience at being inside of a turret.

Outside of the viewing ports, Ken caught a glimpse of the _Adennate _firing back at them, just as a large mass of magma poured onto the ship's lower side, letting him know that Kunra had made it safely to the atmosphere, even though yorik-et weren't designed to fight in such conditions. Ken knew that the vessel had been created by Sekot itself, so more than likely it had also fitted the ship to experience combat in regions it was not used to being used in.

"Coming out of the atmosphere now," Tash's voice said over the comlink. "Firing tractor beam in three…two…one!"

Normally not fitted with a tractor beam, the _Shroud_ had been heavily modified by its original owner Mammon Hoole and used as a means to force Imperial patrols off of their backs should the Arrandas or he ever experience such an event. Being of a large design, the tractor beam within the _Shroud _would be more than enough to contain the _Adennate_ should they disable its shields enough in the fight. Confused by the tractor beam, the pilot of the _Adennate_ faltered and misjudged his position, firing off randomly and hitting nothing.

Concentrating on the Force, Ken gathered Tash and Danni's minds into his, creating a meld that would enable them to act as one, using their points of view to better coordinate their attack. Similar to battle meditation, Force melds allowed their users to pinpoint the best spots for them to attack and where to engage their enemies, as well as provide information that might not get to its intended participant until it was already irrelevant, which had been used to great effect during the Yuuzhan Vong War by many Jedi Knights.

Sensing an opening due to Danni's sight, Ken told her to fire, letting Danni score a direct hit on the _Adennate's _ion cannon turret, disabling it and allowing the _Shroud's_ shields a chance to come back online. Kunra, who could still not be a part of the meld due to his origins, had also disabled the _Adennate's _only blaster cannons, leaving its proton torpedo launcher as its last resort to use against them, but for some reason they were not attacked. Figuring that this meant that the ship simply didn't have any proton torpedoes, Ken conferred with Danni and Tash, agreeing with them that they needed to finish getting rid of the ship's shields.

Focusing himself in the Force, Ken located a shatterpoint in the _Adennate's _shields and fired six times, taking out the ship's shields for the remainder of the battle.

"Kunra, this is Tash," Tash's voice rang out over the comlink. "Return to the ship. I'll take care of our friend with the tractor beam."

"Understood," Kunra said.

Wiping the sweat away from his brow, Ken let out a smile, content that they had won in the short fight against their unknown assailant.

**2**

"Has he said anything?" Ken asked the moment he entered the _Shroud's_ containment cell.

Danni turned to him and shook her head. "The Mandalorian's saying almost nothing. All he will say is that he's been hired to kill us for crimes that the Arrandas committed against the entire Galaxy. Kunra could interrogate him further if you wish. In fact, I think he would have were it not for his, um, personal dislike of placing the Mando in a mechanized holding cell."

"No, that's fine. A Mandalorian's mind can only be broken by a dangerous use of Force powers, which I have no will to use. For now we'll leave him alone. Just so long as Tash stays away from him I don't imagine we'll have any problem with Buckethead here anyways."

"Ram," the Mandalorian said. "My name is Ram Zerimar."

"Oh, so he can say more than what you heard. Tell me Ram, why exactly do you think that the Arrandas were perpetrating crimes against the Galaxy?"

"I was shown proof of their misdeeds and I have seen what you did to my men. You Jedi are nothing but monsters."

"Hmm, seems that not too long ago I recall seeing Mandalorians treating us Jedi the same thanks to Daala."

"Those were not true Mandalorians. Those were aberrations of what it means to be one of us. _Hut'uun_ not fit to be spit upon."

"And your actions qualify as not being an aberration of true Mandalorian culture?" Danni asked. "Most of the Mandalorians that I've met would have done the same exact thing."

"My people are a proud group and we are not defined by a few ne'er-do-wells. I will say nothing more save for this: I will escape from this cell, and I will get revenge for the death of my comrades. However, whether it is you who is punished or someone else I will not reveal."

"What?" Ken asked. "What are you talking about? Are you saying that someone else was there with us on Lehon and caused us to fight your comrades?

Ram looked away from him.

Frowning, Ken shook his head and said, "Forget him for now. Let's focus on getting back on our way to Pzob. I have a feeling we're needed there now."

A/N: Chapter 16 will showcase Malinza's time on Pzob while she tries to find a way to free her allies, and as she discovers the location of Shul Vaal. This might get written by Saturday or Sunday depending on when I get some of my other projects finished. Until next time...


	17. Chapter 16

A/N: Just got done with this. It ended up being shorter than I planned, but I like it the way it is. Please let me know if there is anything that I need to change. Thanks in advance and please enjoy.

Chapter 16

**Herios sector, K749 system, Pzob**

**1**

Malinza Thanas became one with the crowd of the street that passed by Gumbrak Hoxz's base of operations, careful to pose as an ordinary citizen who was more than happy to be a part of the prosperity brought to Pzob by Gumbrak's wondrous graces. However, the worried look on her face was sure to bring undue attention to herself and she fled into a nearby alleyway, ready to figure out some way that would give her a chance to rescue Zomil and Tiu Zax.

_Okay, Malinza, you can do this, _she told herself. _You've been in worse spots before. At least Pzob isn't overrun by a bunch of Ssi-ruuk like home was years ago. Then again I still had a large group of dependable Jedi Knights and Galactic Alliance soldiers to help me, and I ruined any chance of calling them for aid up by tricking them so much that they took away the _Gaeriel Captison _from us as payment for misusing their services. Now I can't even get back to my ship because Gumbrak's people will probably be there keeping it under surveillance. Kriff it to all nine Corellian hells! What can I do? What would you do, Uncle Luke? _

_Make the impossible, possible, _the voice of Luke Skywalker said in her mind.

_Yes, I know that, but—Wait! I know someone whose specialty was doing just that! Ghent! Zakarisz Ghent, Uncle Luke's slicer friend! Uncle Luke had him teach me how to slice my way through just about any system short of the most advanced products. I can do this!_

Hiding behind a dumpster, Malinza bent down and activated her datapad and searched for the closest information access port. The device gave an affirmative on the location of one such port a moment later, letting her know that she needed to head several yards to her left. Picking herself off of the dusty ground, Malinza peered out into the crowd moving past each other on their way to shop and mingled with them, moving to her destination, which was currently being used by a Glymphid and her Triffian companion, both looking as out of place on Pzob as a Lepi with a Fluggrian on Saleucami.

Moving the veil from her garments over her face, Malinza made her way over to the port, while the Glymphid continued her conversation with a Pau'an and his Utai assistant as the sharp image displayed their homeworld of Utapau behind them. A similar image showed a Toong as he walked by a group of Aleena and Devlikk that were garbed in the attire of H'kig parishioners on the oceanic world of Bestine IV.

_This is taking too long, _Malinza thought and reactivated her datapad, finding that there was another port inside of a local establishment less than fifteen yards away.

Grumbling under her breath, Malinza made her way over to the establishment—a shady gambling parlor called the Mustafarian's Peril—and entered it, finding immediately why it was named such: The bar was inordinately cold, which was sure to bother the hot-natured Mustafar natives. Shivering as she entered the building, Malinza found a sleazily dressed Koorivar dancer that was accompanying the attentions of an equally sleazy group of three Chagrian and Mirialan gamblers playing a game of pazaak. Next to them was an intimidating Togruta bouncer accosted a young Sy Myrthian who had accused a Quermian of cheating.

Deciding to stay away from them, Malinza moved over to the gambling center's bar, and sat by a gruff-faced Thisspiasian, who paid her no mind and drank his Onderon ale. Turning to the bartender—a female Sneevel with broad fangs jutting up from her bottom lips—Malinza sent her a smile, which went unreturned, while a newscaster on the holo nearby offered a story about the rehabilitation of Rodia following the effects of the Yuuzhan Vong War.

"May I use your dataport, please?" Malinza asked. "I need to contact my husband on Teth and I can't find any other way to do it. He's there on important business with a group of Vulptereen businessmen who plan to redevelop Tund so that a colony can be formed by some Nuknog and Veknoid settlers. You know about that horrible tragedy that happened there so long ago? I'm so proud of my husband, since he's always acting so selflessly. That's what you get when you marry into a Zeuol family."

Annoyed at Malinza's prattling, the Sneevel pointed to her right and waved the hand in the same direction in order to shut Malinza up. Smiling inwardly at her façade that would allow her the chance to work freely, as nothing was more boring to denizens of a gambling center than to hear of the noble exploits of people who obviously were better off than them.

Entering the room where the port was held in, Malinza closed the door behind her and then she reached into her utility belt, finding a tinting shield devised by settlers on Christophsis to counteract the brightness offered by the planet's natural crystal formations. Situating it on the door, Malinza activated the tinting shield, effectively sealing a view of the room she was in from the outside.

Smiling at her momentary success, Malinza returned to her datapad and began to access the innermost parts of the computers inside of the Gumbrak's fortress, careful to not announce her presence to anyone paying close enough attention to the computer's databases. Having been taught by one of the greatest slicing minds in the Galaxy's history, Malinza knew that she could find the information she needed with little problem.

Accessing the cameras inside of the building, Malinza shuffled through images until she found herself staring at a room that contained one of her companions, eventually landing on Tiu as the Omwati was sleeping. Zooming in, Malinza discovered that several olbio trees were also in the room, where small ysalamiri were attached to.

_Well that explains how they were able to disable her, _Malinza thought. _More than likely with her out of her element Zomil was forced to surrender as well. I'm dealing with an expert here. Why can't these things ever be easy?_

Moving past the prison cell where Tiu was held, Malinza focused on another image, this time revealing Zomil, who was resting on a rug and looking as if he was suffering from some sort of nightmare. Wishing that she could contact him, Malinza cursed herself for being unable to do so, and switched to another room, where she found a Wiritud playing Divoran holochess with a Gossam, more than likely using the standard rules introduced from Nagi by the Nagai several years before during their invasion. Finding that the camera also had an audio unit installed in it, Malinza activated it and listened in to their conversation.

"Can't wait for that duel tomorrow," the Wiritud said. "Heard it's going to be good."

"Bah, it won't be anything like the one I saw on Byss when it was still a planet," the Gossam said. "Now that was a duel! On one side the most vicious Muun in the Galaxy: Horgo Shive, former Separatist leader and hero of the battle of Rishi! On the other the scariest Vurk ever to roam the worlds around Sullust: Braze!"

"Oh, shut up, you idiot! That won't be anything like what the Defel and Omwati will be doing tomorrow at the Battle Yard! One of them is even a Jedi, so that'll make it interesting!"

Malinza gasped, and was immediately glad that they could not hear her.

"It's a shame too," the Wiritud continued, "we could have even had that other Jedi fight too, if the boss hadn't sold him to the t'landa Til to be used on Ylesia."

Malinza shut off the audio and absorbed the information that had been unwittingly given to her by the two sentients. Not only were Zomil and Tiu still alive, but they were about to be forced to fight each other in a dueling ring, something she could not even imagine happening, but she knew that it was truth. But none of that was as important as the last piece of information that she had gained from the criminals was to her hopeful rescue of her allies: Shul Vaal was gone and he was nowhere near Pzob, having been sent to the spice fields of Ylesia.

Before Malinza could think more on the subject, a message appeared on the dataport.

"Hello, intruder," the message said. "I cannot detect where you are or why you are doing this, but I shall report your actions to my master. Just so you know, I am Baylan, proud member of the Leffingite species, and favored son of the planet Shadda-Bi-Boran. Surprised? I imagine so since my homeworld has long been dead. Needless to say I escaped its destruction years ago and have now entered the employ of the being you wish to spy on, nameless intruder. You see, I am a slicer myself; have been ever since my time on Malastare. Let me inform you of what you are dealing with here: Have you ever heard of the Kaminoan Ascetics that were on their way to Iego that suddenly found themselves on Bonadan instead where they were forced into working in the factories? Well that was me. If you're not careful I'll have you shipped off to Kalee to be sent for food to feed the starving Kaleesh. Or maybe to Raxus Prime where you get used for some cheap labor? Either way I shall relish in your pain. So what will it be, nameless intruder?"

Malinza shut off the dataport and jumped back from it, knowing that she had almost been caught by someone obviously more skilled than she would ever be at slicing. Slamming her fist against the wall, designed with the skin of the krak'jya of Bothawui, Malinza swore and began to think up a new plan that would get rid of this major setback.

_He can't find me right now because of my careful data manipulation, but that doesn't mean that I get away from this without hurting my chances of finding them, _she thought. _What I need to do is spend the night here and think it over. I'll figure out some way to rescue them and we'll go to Ylesia to save Shul. Force give me strength._

**2**

Cursing herself for being unable to save her companions and for even daring to sleep while they were in trouble, Malinza woke up on her Thyferran bed created by wood from the Akonije trees of the world and grumbled incoherently on her present situation. Checking her chrono for the time, Malinza discovered that the duel would take place within several hours, leaving her with enough time to think of something that would give her a chance to rescue her friends from Gumbrak's hold.

Getting up from the bed, Malinza moved over to the sonic shower and cleansed herself when it activated, wishing that she had a change of clothes with her to help disguise her, since Gumbrak's forces most likely knew of her attire from the _Hindsight's _systems, which she had proven had been under watch thanks to a proximity alarm on her utility belt.

Finishing up her shower moments later, Malinza redressed herself and checked out her datapad to make sure she had the correct coordinates for the Battle Yard. Content with it for the moment, Malinza gathered her belongings and exited the room that she had bought for the night, ready to bust her friends out of their cells before the duel could be fought.

**3**

Malinza arrived at Gumbrak Hoxz's fortress and almost walked over to a side alley where she could knock out a guard and enter the building when she felt someone looking at her. Easing herself around Malinza met the gaze of a human male several years older than her. Hoping that he was just staring at her due to some interest in her appearance, Malinza almost turned back, but she heard a man's voice enter her mind.

_You can't go in there like that,_ the voice said. _It's far too dangerous._

Her eyes widening at the unexpected presence of another voice in her mind, Malinza met the man's gaze again and walked toward him, finding that he was in a group consisting of two other humans and one large humanoid figure concealed behind a massive set of robes.

"Tell me who you are and what you want with me," Malinza said. "I swear that I'll rip you apart if you're allied with that scumbag Gumbrak."

"Still the same old Malinza it seems," the man said, smiling.

"You know me? Who are you?"

"It's me, Malinza. Ken, you know, from the Temple. I met you once when you came to meet Master Skywalker some time ago. I escorted you back to your ship."

"Oh yes, I do recall that. What are you doing here?"

Ken frowned. "Well, I was hoping that maybe you could tell us why."

"What? I don't understand."

"Ken, it would be better if we had this conversation elsewhere," one of Ken's female companions said, as she scanned the crowd. "Too many ears."

"Alright, Tash, we'll head over there," he said, indicating a nearby alleyway.

Following the quartet, Malinza entered the alley with the others and crossed her arms. "Now what was that you meant about asking me for why you're here?" she asked. "I have to do something very important right now that's a matter of life or death."

"Okay, I'll try and sum this up quickly," Ken said. "I received a vision several days ago and was told to gather certain individuals from across the Galaxy to help me stop a madman that is trying to unleash a power that could destroy everything we know. A later vision that I received when we landed here today told me to find you, and that's why we're here. My companions are Tash Arranda, Danni Quee, and Kunra, all of whom I trust with my life. However, we have no clue why we were supposed to meet up with you or why we're even here."

"You said that you were led here and you don't know why? Hmm…maybe I can solve that problem for you. I don't know if you heard, but several days ago I was a part of a routine prisoner transfer with my co-pilot Zomil and two Jedi Knights named Tiu Zax and Shul Vaal when we were attacked by pirates and Shul was captured. Zomil, Tiu, and I tracked them down to find Shul and the trail led here, but they were captured and are now being forced to fight in a dueling ring to the death. If there's a purpose for you being here, then I guess it's to help me save them from killing each other against their wills and it turns out that Shul was never here and that he was sent to Ylesia to be in the service of some t'landa Til."

Ken nodded, as the humanoid figure withdrew his hood, revealing a Yuuzhan Vong male, more than likely the Kunra that Ken had mentioned given its more alien sounding pronunciation. She could understand why he would conceal himself, seeing as many Yuuzhan Vong were still not appreciated for what they had done to the Galaxy several years before.

"Where are they now?" Kunra asked, scowling.

"The Pzob Forest Battle Yard. They're being coerced into doing this by a local crime lord called Gumbrak Hoxz. He's a Mon Calamari and a nasty piece of work."

Kunra huffed. "Even we did not force sentients to fight one another for our amusement. I pity the fools that delude themselves into watching such an atrocity."

"Well it's settled then," Ken said. "We'll head over to this Battle Yard and find out where they're holding Zomil and Tiu, hopefully before they start fighting and then—" Ken paused, now aware that someone was listening in on them.

"What's wrong, Ken?" Malinza asked.

"I sense it as well," Tash said, bringing her hand to her lightsaber.

"Malinza, do you know where this Battle Yard is?" Ken asked, also holding his lightsaber out and ready to activate it as Danni did the same.

"Yes, but what's wrong?" Malinza asked.

"Danni and Kunra, you go with Malinza and rescue Tiu and Zomil. Tash and I will stay here and find out who's following us. With any luck we'll handle whoever this is quickly and we can assist you before anything terrible happens."

"Yes, Master Ken," Kunra said, concealing his appearance once more.

"Understood," Danni said.

Malinza took one look at Ken, but decided against arguing his order, saying, "Follow me, you two and we'll make sure that they get out of their safely."

Taking one last look at Ken and Tash, Malinza saw a dark figure descend from the top of a building near the alley and bring out a red lightsaber. Before she could go back to help out, she felt the firm grasp of Kunra on her shoulder and returned on her path to the Battle Yard.

**4**

Ken felt the being's attack first, igniting his emerald lightsaber and meeting the red blade as the attacker revealed himself as a Zabrak. Tash, meanwhile, had activated her own, as she sent a Force push in the Zabrak's direction, which barely missed him, instead hitting a female Ongree that had gathered to watch the fight with the other passersby.

The Zabrak lifted himself into the air and sent a current of Force lightning at Tash, which she barely diverted with her lightsaber, while Ken sent a telekinetically-gathered clump of dirt and sent it at the Zabrak's head, temporarily blinding him. Unprepared for the attack, the Zabrak lifted himself onto a dumpster and then propelled himself to the top of a building, clearing his eyes of the dust that had gathered there from Ken's attack.

"Well played, Master Jedi," the Zabrak said.

"Enough of this!" Ken shouted. "Who are you and what do you want?"

The Zabrak grinned. "I am Ylairo Iteu, and I want what my Master Durrei wants: To find the creature destined to shape the Galaxy into the way we wish it to be."

"If that's so, then I suppose it's up to us to stop you," Tash said.

Joining her, Ken prepared to attack Ylairo, meeting the Zabrak's blade when he fell down to fight them once more.

A/N: Next chapter will return to Zomil and Tiu as they are forced to fight one another, as Malinza, Kunra, and Danni try to save them from Gumbrak's hold. Until next time...


	18. Chapter 17

A/N: Sorry for the lateness of this chapter, everyone. I have been helping out my father with his basketball camps for the past two weeks and have had absolutely no time to write anything that I wanted to. I should have a more reasonable schedule for the next few weeks, so this story may finish up sometime within the next couple months. Please let me know if there is anything I need to change. Thanks in advance and please enjoy.

Chapter 17

**Portmoak sector, Reuss system, Reuss VIII, 5 ABY**

**1**

"What have I done?" he asked himself, staring at the destruction in the wake of the battle that had been fought during the night.

Debris was strewn across the Broken Tusk, former dining establishment and now his only reminder of what he had done. He hadn't known that they would have died, and why should he have? The Tolanese bounty hunter had said that he would place them under arrest for the actions that the two had perpetrated many years ago when he had first been forced to take them in. Now, however, he knew that it was a lie, and that they had been slaves of his that had outsmarted him and escaped to Reuss VIII in order to make a living on their own.

He had been tired of fighting, even though he had once been known as one of the greatest and most ruthless beings alive. On Af'El he had killed hundreds of his own people during many of the dueling tournaments he had been in. Most dueling rings required their players to not kill the opposition; so he had always found a way to enter himself into the ones that did allow the participants to kill one another. On Boz Pity he had completely decimated the Iridonian fighters sent before him right before the destruction of the Death Star. A year later he had entered into a tournament on Rattatak, where he had been pitted against a large group of Rattataki, Paaerduag, and Dimean berserkers, killing all who stood in his way. Angered by the easy way that he had won this tournament, he had left for Reuss VIII, where he had joined the Gamorrean brothers at their dining establishment.

However, nothing was the same there for reasons beyond his comprehension. He never took pleasure in the deaths he caused, even if he had done them remarkably well. Something was preventing him from doing what he had been born to perform.

When the Gamorreans died, he finally understood what emotion it was: Guilt.

For all the deaths he had caused, he had never felt such an emotion in his life, saying that if the beings that he had killed were meant to survive, then they should have fought harder and killed him instead. But now, after having time to reflect on his actions for once, he had learned of the evils that he had perpetrated and what they truly meant. At times during the night he could hear the voices of the beings he had killed in his mind, slowly withering his control. In his mind he saw the pits of Ord Mantell where a rogue Inquisitorius had crafted a being in the likeness of the Massassi and lost control of it, leading it to be captured by a Selkath crime lord and then have it forced to fight. He had killed the pitiful creature as it cried out for someone to end its miserable existence, considering it a mercy kill at the time. Now he was not so sure that killing it had been good for the Sithspawn. Another memory flashed by, this time of a fight on Nubia where he had been placed inside in a dueling ring made to appear as if the duel were taking place on Hoth. In it, he had killed a small Ewok, who had been partnered with a miniscule Drall warrior, a fight that had been pathetically easy to win.

The newfound guilt in his heart drove him into seclusion for days, refusing to duel in the rings for his employer's benefits anymore. Mad at his defiance, they had forced him into the ring to fight a Firrerreo, something that was highly illegal, as the species was almost extinct. He had tried to escape, but nothing worked, and he had killed the Firrerreo in battle. Angered at what he had done, he contacted his employer's former owner, and told him where they were, leading to their deaths, something he had never wanted to happen, even to them. The entirety of Reuss VIII had been plagued by his decision, and now he had to make up for it.

From that day on, he had sworn never to kill unless he was forced to do so, an oath that he had upheld for years, but one that he might now be forced to end, as he felt that his brief visit to the past was coming to its finish.

Zomil watched as his dream world vanished, and the present began, knowing that there was nothing he could do to prevent what must happen next.

**Herios sector, K749 system, Pzob, 45 ABY**

**2**

"Wake up you scum!" a loud voice belonging to a female Feeorin yelled out. "It's time for you to get out of here and play!"

Zomil opened his eyes and shivered as he saw the Feeorin taunt him from outside of his cell. With her was a Dantari—a rare sight due to their near extinction thanks to the Yuuzhan Vong invasion of their homeworld, Dantooine—and a Krevaaki wielding a shotgun. Wishing he could stay for another hour's rest, Zomil picked himself off of the floor and held his hands out to where the Feeorin could reach him and place handcuffs—designed, it seemed, on a similar cuff once used on N'zoth—on his wrists. Taking them without resisting, Zomil waited for his captors to finish up and followed them into the hallway, as he heard a member of the silicon-based Eglatt species report on the HoloNet about the rediscovery of the lost world O'reen, and how a group of survivors from a Vagaari invasion force had managed to find their way to Mimban during a blind jump. Then the reporter shifted to a story involving medical aid being sent to both Neimoidia and Mygeeto due to an outbreak of cora spores, accidentally introduced thanks to shipments of snow-wood from Csilla.

"Hey, turn off that racket!" the Feeorin roared at the Meri and what Zomil assumed to be at first a Gerb, but—as the Gerb, Melodie, and the Slith were all exterminated during the first few years of the Yuuzhan Vong War—it turned out to be a Tintinna, who switched off the HoloNet and retreated into a corner.

Zomil sighed and continued down the hallway, hoping that Malinza had found a way to rescue them before he was forced to kill Tiu Zax.

**3**

An enormous crowd entered the Pzob Forest Battle Yard, awaiting the dueling ring's participants to make their way to the field. In the skies a lone Avogwi watched, having been too cheap to purchase a ticket, while beneath him several Gamorrean tribes cheered out, ready to watch the match begin. Famed Columi crime lord Boss Tosk entered the Battle Yard flanked by his Iyra, Xi'Dec, and Ossan bodyguards, who pushed down a lone Ri'Dar that got in their way. Next to them, the Tynnan and former Senator of Tynna known as Steamdrinker berated a young Chortose for daring to compare his species to members of the Sedrian race.

Watching them as they filled in the arena was Gumbrak Hoxz, who smiled as he viewed Tiu Zax and Zomil in chains being sent into the center of the ring, where the chains were taken off as the attendants placed two collars around their heads. Zomil was given two blaster pistols—one SC-4 blaster pistol made by SoroSuub that was based on old Kibnon designs and a scatter pistol, primarily used by Jillsarian tribesman in their annual hunts of murglak on the Outer Rim world of Imynusoph—which he held out in front of him and examined them with a grimace on his face. Tiu found herself holding an EG-7 blaster, favored by wandering Tempestro when they left their homeworld of Koda's World due to its ability to adapt to their talon's versatility, while a Tarasin dagger, used by Tarasin during assassination attempts, but also widely utilized during a civil war on Lijuter, where the native Houk were tricked into separating into different clans and then forced into a war propagated by rival Tunroth and Ebranite privateers who had planned to take over planetary interests after the war was finished. .

Tiu and Zomil stared at one another, not wanting to move or show any signs that they were willing to participate in the fight.

Gumbrak moved forward from his observation post and waited for his Cha'wen'he and Berrite announcers told the spectators to quiet down, yelling out, "Welcome, everyone, to the new and improved Pzob Forest Battle Yard!"

The crowd cheered, while Tiu and Zomil flinched.

"For the benefit of our players and for our audience, I will explain what is happening here today!" he continued. "The two beings you see before you are former number one duelist in the Outer Rim Zomil and Jedi Knight Tiu Zax!"

The crowd booed at the mention of Tiu's profession, while a Draedan audience member threw her Rellarin canron jelly cake at Tiu, barely missing the Omwat by inches.

Gumbrak smiled. "Earlier yesterday these two miscreants tried to kill me, but I fought back and trapped them!" he shouted. "Now it's my time to return the favor! Both combatants have been given Tarro choke-collars, outfitted with the best shock technologies developed by the great and generous Marasan and Krytollak species! The rules are simple: Fight and kill the other opponent! The one who kills their foe will live, while the other dies! Failure to fight will result in the choke-collars killing the participants! In several parts of this field are strategically placed ray shields that will provide some cover for an attack! It is up to the participants to seek out these unique shields and defend themselves if they can! Are you ready to fight?"

Tiu and Zomil looked at one another and shook their heads.

"People, listen to me!" Tiu shouted out into the crowd, avoiding more food thrown in her direction by an elderly Ranth. "You are being misled! Gumbrak is a criminal! He has stolen the man that I love and taken him away from me! You are all being led to the slaughter like Revwien to the mouths of Morodin!"

The crowd booed her once more, this time with Tarong adder stew hitting her in the face. At the sight of her being covered in soaking wet snake meat, the crowd laughed.

Gumbrak allowed a smirk to reach his face as he turned to his right. "Baylan, would you do the honor of informing our fighters that the choke-collars are real?"

At the mention of his name, Baylan reached for his computer and punched in the codes to the collar's controls, activating their restriction function. Instantaneously, Zomil and Tiu then fell to the ground in agony, as they tried to breathe, but found their necks pushing into themselves as the collars began to constrict them. Gasping for air, Zomil almost lost consciousness, but he was saved by Baylan, who deactivated the choke-collars, allowing them the chance to stand back up again. Gagging at the end of the process, Tiu let out the remnants of her dinner from earlier in the day, while Zomil barely contained his from leaving his body.

"Now do you see what happens when you resist me?" Gumbrak asked. "You must choose now: Fight each other, or suffer the consequences."

Zomil and Tiu shared a silent, mournful stare, and opened fire on one another.

**4**

Malinza Thanas led Danni Quee and Kunra into the outskirts of the Pzob Forest Battle Yard, finding their path blocked by a group of Khil and Tiss'shar thugs.

"Back off," a Tiss'shar said as she scanned them with a datapad. "It's sold out."

"I don't think you understand," Malinza said. "We're going in whether you let us or not."

The Tiss'shar looked down at her datapad and froze, but then shouted out, "There's the one that Baylan talked about. She sliced into the system earlier today. He just managed to get her identification. Blast her and kill the others too. Gumbrak has no need of them."

Taking the initiative, Danni reached out before them and activated her amber lightsaber and diverting the paths of the blaster bolts sent their way, as Kunra sent out a wave of blorash jelly that enveloped one Khil, as a M'shinn bystander jumped out of the way.

Using the distraction, Malinza brought out her Crusader rifle and shot at the nearest Khil, hitting his blaster and causing him to shoot his Tiss'shar companion instead. Ducking as a stray blaster shot got past Danni's weak defense, Malinza fell into a member of the Anointed People, who gave out a sharp reptilian cry and scampered away from her on all fours.

Danni faced off with a Khil, who surprised her by bringing out a lightwhip. Unprepared for the unconventional weapon, Danni barely avoided having her leg severed from her body by the crimson whip's attack. Kunra rushed to her side as he took out the last Tiss'shar with more blorash jelly, and struck the Khil in the face before he could bring the lightwhip back in to fight them off.

Checking each other for injuries, the group waited before they moved once more, as a masculine voice emanated from the datapad of the female Tiss'shar, "Hello, Malinza, it's so nice of you to drop by. I was beginning to think you weren't coming."

"Baylan?" Malinza asked, picking up the datapad as it revealed the Leffingite.

"Indeed it is," he said, smiling. "Come out and play, will you? Your friends are about to die. It would be a shame if you came all this way and didn't get to see that."

Disgusted, Malinza threw the datapad to the ground and stomped on it. "Let's get in there and find them before something happens," she said, rifle in front of her as she raced to the arena.

**5**

Zomil fired off a blast to the ray shield in front of Tiu's position, letting it harmlessly be absorbed by the shield's energies. Seeing that she was about to fire at him, Zomil ducked into a boulder that had been brought there to be in the Battle Yard as a way to provide a more scenic ground to fight on.

Gasping due to the strain on his body, Zomil hid behind the boulder, as the shots rang into it without doing any damage. Seeing that the settings for his guns were set on their highest levels, Zomil toned them down to attempt to reach a stun setting, but found it blocked. Looking up at the observation post, Zomil found the Leffingite that had been next to Gumbrak during the fight looking at him with a smirk, letting him know that somehow the being had tampered with his weapons. Cursing his fate, Zomil wheeled around the rock and fired off at Tiu, missing her by several feet as he had planned.

The crowd, beginning to notice a pattern in their attacks and the fact that they weren't actively trying to kill each other, booed, as a rogue Karran and his Chikarri friend both shot into the field, leading to them being accosted and stunned by a Coynite guard, who beat them as they fell into unconsciousness.

Seeing Tiu react as if her neck were about to be constricted, Zomil assumed that she was sensing a future strike from their captors to remind them to fight, and fired off a volley of blaster fire directly at her, hoping she could escape in time. Tiu, seeing his attack, lifted a rock with the Force and blocked the blaster fire, as she sent a similar shot at him, which he missed by bringing one of the ray shields up.

_Is madness, _he thought, shooting once more at her. _Malinza, where are you?_

**6**

Malinza and Kunra guarded Danni as she sliced through the duranium blast door with her lightsaber, shooting a Trianii in the leg and forcing him to hit his head right on the nearby phrik-enforced wall, and causing a civilian Pulra to split into several pieces and slip through one of the ventilation shafts to escape.

"I've got it!" Danni shouted out as the circle she had made with her lightsaber broke out of the blast door and fell down on the other side of the room.

Entering first, Kunra brought out his amphistaff and knocked a female Sekct into a vase filled with mycosia flowers from Jabiim. Malinza came in next, shooting a Ketton in the face, as Danni diverted the blasts of a Lurrian. Force pushing the assailants aside, Danni rushed ahead and reached the door where she sensed led to an access way into the arena. Opening it, Danni discovered a Leffingite and a Mon Calamari examining the duel between who she assumed to be Zomil and Tiu Zax.

Bringing the lightsaber in front of her, Danni asked, "Who's in charge here?"

Sensing her arrival, the Mon Calamari turned around and said, "Why, I am, my dear. I am Gumbrak Hoxz at your service."

"Okay, Gumbrak, I want you to stop this immediately!"

Malinza entered the observation room with Kunra and found Baylan smirking at her as she approached him. Before the Leffingite could react, Malinza shot him with a quick stun blast, forcing him onto the floor and out of the fight instantly.

"My, my," Gumbrak said. "Now that is surely one way to negotiate. Captain Thanas, I presume? You have my regards. You are a most worthy foe."

Malinza disregarded his goading and said, "Release them now, Gumbrak, or the next shot won't even be close to a stunning blast."

Gumbrak shook his head. "I'm sorry, my dear, but it appears that you have mistaken me for some fool. I cannot and will not end this fight."

"And why not?" Kunra asked, growling as he entered a fighting stance.

"Because if I am to leave this post, both of your friends will perish."

"Explain," Malinza said.

"Why it's fairly simple, they both have choke-collars on their necks. If you were to kill me or remove me from here, they shall both die. Now deactivate your weapons and enjoy the fight."

Turning around, Gumbrak stared out into the dueling ring, as Malinza met the eyes of Zomil, who gave her a forlorn grimace and shot at Tiu once more. Looking at her companions, Malinza balled her hands into fists and swore, knowing that there was nothing she could do but watch as her co-pilot fought Tiu Zax in a duel to the death.

A/N: The next chapter will return to the fight between Ken, Tash, and Ylairo, showing what they have been up to since we last saw them. It should be written relatively soon, as I don't have any pressing engagements in the next few days. Until next time...


	19. Chapter 18

A/N: Finally got around to getting this one done after some minor difficulty with some research I had to do for this chapter. Please let me know if there is anything I need to change. Thanks in advance and please enjoy.

Chapter 18

**Herios sector, K749 system, Pzob**

Ken Elegin ducked as a saffron wave of force lightning arced near him and connected to a nearby rutolu bush—fresh from its homeworld of Deralia—and cremated it instantly. Whirling to his right, Ken force pushed a red stone toward Ylairo Iteu, missing him, and causing the rock to collide with the side of the building next to them instead.

Tash Arranda brought her lightsaber toward Ylairo's crimson blade and found herself flying backward when she didn't compensate for the power Ylairo sent into his strike, sending her into the arenose ground, as she coughed up the sand that had gathered in her mouth.

Ken rushed out in front of her to stop Ylairo from landing the killing blow. Using the tiny respite, Tash picked herself off the ground and hit Ylairo's lightsaber when he turned to her side and clashed with it once more, as Ken attempted to sever Ylairo's right hand, but he found it to have been blocked by the Zabrak's lightsaber.

_How is he able to move so quickly?_ Ken asked himself. _Tash may not be one of the more experienced Jedi Knights, but even she should be able to fight him off better than this. Has he been augmented somehow? What could have done that? Who is this master he speaks of and why would he even offer that information to us when we could defeat him and use that information to hunt down and kill this Durrei before he does us anymore harm?_

As if in answer to his private thoughts, Ken saw Ylairo smirk, as the Zabrak attacked him once more, this time barely missing Ken's middle finger.

_Ken, _Tash sent to his mind through the Force, _there's something off about him._

_Good, Ken thought, she's picking up on it as well. _Then, to Tash, he sent, _I don't know what it is, but he's definitely been tampering with something to make himself this way. It might not show outwardly, but his traits have definitely been altered. _

_But what could have done this to him? _

_Good question, why don't we ask him?_

_You actually expect him to offer us this information for free?_

_Need I remind you that he not only told us his name, but who he was working for. If there is anything I know right now, it's that this guy is way too overconfident for his own good._

_Fine, _Tash sent, dodging a slash from Ylairo's lightsaber, _try it out then._

"Gladly," Ken said aloud, pulling back from Ylairo with Tash.

Staring at his fellow combatants, Ylairo eased into a comfortable stance and deactivated his lightsaber. Ken and Tash exchanged glances and mutually decided to do the same, but kept their fingers ready to ignite them once again when the time came.

"You fight well for such untrained sensitives," Ylairo said. "I am quite surprised."

"As are we at your augmented abilities," Ken said, checking Ylairo over for any physical deformities that could give away the source of his powers, but his search was halted by the large cloak that the Dark Jedi wore. "Would you mind telling us how you got to be this way?"

"My, that would be telling, wouldn't it? Perhaps I shall tell you, but you have to agree to exchange information with me as a result. A fair trade, don't you think?"

"Like hell," Tash said. "Ken, we can worry about his augmentation later. We can't afford to give up anything to him. Let's beat him and go find Malinza's friends before something bad happens to them while we're gone."

"I'm afraid that I can't allow that, my dear. I have been tasked to make sure that dealt with appropriately, death if need be. However, my Master is a very forgiving man, and would be willing to spare you should you agree to halt this insane search to destroy his plans."

"Then your Master obviously doesn't know us at all," Ken said, igniting his lightsaber, "because we're Jedi, and Jedi never give up when they're needed, so bring it on."

"A pity," Ylairo said igniting his own lightsaber. "It always is such a shame to see that people will no longer listen to the words offered by one of the most proficient Emperor's Hands, hand selected by Palpatine himself to carry out some of his darker missions."

"An Emperor's Hand?" Tash repeated, barely bringing out her lightsaber in time to force back the blade that Ylairo sent toward her.

_Impossible, _Ken thought as he sent his saber to deflect Ylairo's attack and buy Tash some time to get into a better position to fight back. _An Emperor's Hand is still alive and just happens to be a nonhuman one at that? I thought the vast majority of them were wiped out following the death of Palpatine. No one knows where Antinnis Tremayne is, not since he helped out Desann during the attack on the Temple. Jallar Golin died during an attempt to redeem him on Transel, Roganda Ismaren was killed by her son Irek when she made him into Lord Nyax, and Vess Kogo died on Erai III when he was attacked by Epicanthix bounty hunters for killing the leader of the Xa Fel since they had an alliance. I've never heard of Ylairo before, so what has he been up to since Palpatine died? Maybe this Durrei he keeps talking about saved him somehow and then convinced him to work for him for whatever he plans to do later on._

Tash sent a Force wave toward Ylairo, who jumped up and used his feet to propel himself to head over into the crowd that had gathered to watch them, despite the obvious danger. Leaping to reach him, Ken found himself about to slice off the arm of a Qieg that had stumbled beside him, and pushed the tiny insectoid aside into an Aganof to prevent it from losing a limb.

"Tash!" Ken cried out as Tash barely avoided killing a Tikiar with her lightsaber, and as Ylairo succeeded in decapitating a Krikthasi and a Kari. "Too many civilians! We need to get out of here and fight him somewhere else! Follow me over here for now!"

Somersaulting over a terrified Araquia and an oblivious ZeHethbra, Ken landed near two Shashay obviously regretting their choice to leave the Crystal Nest, and leapt onto a low-lying roof, where he tried to spot a good spot to have their battle, and located the docking bay where they had landed the _Shroud_. Sending the location to Tash via the Force, Ken made his way there, while avoiding a collision with a fleeing Mriss and barely missed entering the ivory washtub of a bathing Ropagu.

_Quite the genetic diversity here for a planet supposedly populated by Gamorreans, _Ken remarked as he jumped onto another rooftop. _Whoever this Gumbrak Hoxz is, he sure has turned this planet around. If it weren't for the fact that he was no good scum, I'd let him keep up all of his operations here and let him improve the planet's quality. _

Ken hopped onto a passing Aargau airspeeder, telling the pilot—a frail male Abinyshi—to head over to the docking bay, as the Jivahar passengers tried to complain about being late to a business meeting with the Rakaan trader that could transport them over to Talravin. Ignoring them, Ken focused himself in the Force and found that Tash had taken a similar airspeeder from a group of Yrashu tribesmen and was heading his way. A dark flare in the Force also alerted Ken to the fact that Ylairo had slain a crowd of Issori, Orfite, and Adnerem to gain access to the Astral-8 landspeeder in their possession.

Cursing his inability to be able to save the lives of his fellow sentients, Ken waited for the airspeeder to approach the docking bay and then descended straight into the bay the moment the airspeeder passed by, causing a group of Gigoran civilians to scatter.

Looking up, Ken met the eyes of the operator of the docking bay, a female Rakririan, and shouted out, "Get everyone out of here immediately! They're all in danger!"

Upon seeing a Jedi Master with an ignited lightsaber, the Rakririan took little time to turn to her Trunsk assistant and order an evacuation of the docking bay, right as Tash landed right in the middle of the docking bay, missing a Poss'Nomin by a small margin as she did so.

"What now?" Tash asked, seeing that they were in the same landing pad as the one where the _Shroud_ was in. "We've got to find out more about this guy before we attack him again."

"Not before we make sure everyone else gets out of here safely," Ken said. "We've lost way too many people here today because of him."

Lightsabers in front, Tash and Ken waited for Ylairo, who smashed into the docking bay doors, pulverizing a massive Protean into two and splashing a nearby Woostoid in the face. The landspeeder halted the moment Ylairo leapt out of it, and he collided with Ken's lightsaber first, still showing no signs of slowing down.

Tash moved over to Ylairo and swung at him, missing once more when the Zabrak made his way to the right, causing Ken and Tash to hit each other's lightsaber at the same time, ruining their ability to maintain their balance. Taking the opportunity, Ylairo slashed at Ken, hitting him at the bottom of his left knee, and caused the Jedi Master to cry out in pain, who hadn't been hurt during lightsaber combat since the time he had fought a crazed non-Force-sensitive Geelan on Althir not too long ago.

Seeing Ken in agony, Tash attempted to make up for his absence and created a mini-wave of Force energy that gathered a collective of dust, and sent it at the Zabrak's face, causing him to growl and turn away from them. Wiping the gigantic conflagration of dust away from his eyes, Ylairo watched as Tash attacked once more, their blades colliding, this time with each combatant adjusting for the differences in power better.

Gathering his strength in the Force, Ken purged the thoughts of pain from his mind, and returned to the fight by slicing apart of Ylairo's cloak, revealing an ebony gauntlet on his hand.

Seeing the look on Ken's face when the armband was shown, Ylairo smiled and said, "I see that you have revealed the true nature of my higher powers." Ylairo took off his cloak and showed the full extent of the reach of the armband. "Before you is the last remaining artifact of one of the Sith Lords who fought during the Great Hyperspace War: Ludo Kressh's armband! Behold the power once wielded by one of the greatest dark sided minds in the Galaxy!"

"Ludo Kressh?" Tash repeated. "One of the Dark Lord of the Sith? Ken, be on your guard with this one! If what he's saying is true then we need to extra careful!"

"Understood, Tash," Ken said, bringing his lightsaber out in front of him.

Ylairo jumped first, leading to Ken blocking the blow as Tash attempted to hit Ylairo from behind, but he pulled away and struck her lightsaber instantly, pushing her away. Trying not to panic, Ken whirled around and sent his blade upwards, connecting with the lightsaber just as Tash struck, swiping the side of Ylairo's robes, barely singeing the Zabrak's chalky skin, but doing very little damage to him.

Sidestepping to his right, Ken attempted a slash at Ylairo's head, hitting his lightsaber when the Zabrak whirled around with tremendous speed and pushed Ken back with an almost effortless amount of power. Hitting the duranium-enforced and Wayland marble-imbued wall, Ken silently cursed the Myneyrshi and Psadans for dealing with the Galaxy at large, as Tash met Ylairo in a stalemate once again. Striking with swift blows directed at his lightsaber, Tash leapt into the air and met the Zabrak's blade once more, and turned around to fight him, alone for the Dark Jedi to send out a stunning wave of Force energy, trapping Tash in an immense stasis field. Struggling to move, Tash found that her eyes were the only source of motion she could muster and watched helplessly as Ylairo brought out his hand and began crushing her throat.

"You are too weak, girl," Ylairo said, lightsaber in front of him. "Any regular Jedi would have been able to at least fight off some of the effects. Now it is time for you to die."

Bringing the lightsaber up to decapitate her, Ylairo swung it down, only to find his right side impaled by the emerald lightsaber of Ken. Gagging at the sudden attack, Ylairo let go of his lightsaber for a moment and crumbled to the ground, wounded to the point where he couldn't find the strength to get back up and face his opponents once more.

The stasis field evaporated the moment Ylairo fell to the ground and Tash found herself able to move once again, as Ken rushed to her side to make sure she was okay.

"I'm fine," Tash said, coughing up a massive amount of blood. "Don't turn your back on him yet. He's…going to strike back…if you're not careful, Ken."

Ken swiveled instantly, finding that Ylairo was still down on the ground in agony, and that he wouldn't be threatening them anytime soon. Picking the Zabrak's lightsaber up with the Force, Ken almost grasped the weapon fully when blaster fire strafed him and he lost control of his telekinetic grab, dropping the lightsaber on the ground and bringing his own out to defend Tash and himself. He felt Tash rising up and taking her lightsaber back again, but he could tell that her blood loss wasn't helping her out any.

Turning to where the blaster fire had originated, Ken found Ram Zerimar staring right back at him, two blasters of Visk design trained on his head.

_How the hell did he get out of his cell? _Ken asked himself. _And what is he doing here?_

"I'm afraid that I can't let you kill him just yet, Jedi," Ram said. "He and I have some unfinished business to discuss and I need answers. Stand down and leave him to me."

"Absolutely not," Ken said. "We need him for answers as well. Why not join us?"

"Maybe later," Ram said, firing off two bolts of blaster fire at Ken, who deflected them easily, but not before he realized that Ram had sent a glob of adhesive grenades at him, binding him to the ground and allowing his opponent the chance to fire an easy shot.

Ken prepared himself for the blaster shot, but none came, and he realized that Ram had taken the short interval of time to extract Ylairo from them before Tash could react, even though she tried to shoot at Ram with her own blaster as he lifted off thanks to his Gorothite-designed jetpack with Ylairo in tow.

Trying to break free of the bonds, Ken found Tash slicing them off with her lightsaber, as he heard he swear under her breath. Thanking her once he was free, Ken began to go off in their direction when Tash stopped him by holding his shoulder.

"Look at yourself, you idiot," she said, dried blood still around her mouth. "You're all covered in blood, just like me. You just had to null the pain and get cocky, didn't you?"

Ken looked down at himself, finding his skin tattered with bruises from what appeared to be miniature spikes, most likely built around a similar Odenji design. "Oh," he said, "looks like I got hurt, doesn't it?"

Rolling her eyes and groaning, Tash said, "Then we're both in no condition to go off and chase after them. I suggest we take that airspeeder, use the momentary respite to heal ourselves up as best we can, and then go out to find Malinza and the others. You with me?"

"You bet, sweetheart. Let's roll."

A/N: The next chapter will return to show Raynar Thul and Dordi, as Raynar receives a visit from two varied sources. It should be coming up relatively soon. Until next time...


	20. Chapter 19

A/N: Thanks again to all of my wonderful reviewers-both e-mail and site-for your continued comments, questions, and constructive criticisms. Please let me know if there is anything I need to change. Thanks in advance and please enjoy.

Chapter 19

**Wann Tsir system, Wann Tsir orbit, several light years off the Nanth'ri Route**

Raynar Thul sighed as the Bitthævrian salesman began talking about how his hyperdrive store had been ruined by a traveling Kadri'Ra that had been mad about a hyperdrive system that had supposedly been sabotaged by the Bitthævrian and had acted accordingly. Drawing on the Force to prevent himself from shutting the Bitthævrian up, Raynar waited for the tirade to end, as he saw Dordi hiss at a Filvian that almost bumped into her, causing the large equine to run off in the other direction, almost knocking down an aging Herglic as he galloped off to another part of the dusty road, gathering little to no attention from the passersby as he did so.

"Seems like your friend here doesn't like other people," the Bitthævrian noted.

Raynar grunted. "She has a certain way of dealing with others."

Grimacing inwardly, Raynar shook his head, waiting for the Bitthævrian to hurry up his speech and just tell him what kind of hyperdrive would be necessary for their ship.

During the second day that they had left Stalsinek IV, Raynar had noticed a strange figure in their hyperspace speed, and had investigated the discrepancy with Dordi—after allowing the ship to exit hyperspace to make sure nothing could happen while they searched for the source of the problem—who had little to no knowledge on mechanical aspects. During his search of the hyperdrive, Raynar discovered that it had fallen victim to a group of mynock that had made their way into the ship during one of the _Star Traveler's _routine stops for supplies on Gyndine, where they had docked in space one of the planet's newly-developed space stations, the culmination of several years of Wroonian, Etti, and Najib collaboration. Before Raynar could stop Dordi from reacting, he had watched as the battle-hungry Barabel struck the hyperdrive with her lightsaber, killing the mynocks and unintentionally jumpstarting the ship into space thanks to a corroded part of the hyperdrive system that had been activated due to her brash strike, sending them into a blind jump, one that had graciously brought them to an inhabited system, namely into the Sepan system. Thanks to a distress call, the native Ripoblus and Dimok had set aside their differences to save the two Jedi, but could not offer them a new hyperdrive due to infrastructure damages caused during the Second Galactic Civil War ruining their economies. However, they had both agreed to tow the _Star Traveler _to Wann Tsir, where they had left the Jedi in the hands of the unruly world, one that had caused the Galactic Alliance trouble ever since it had joined the New Republic following its liberation early into the government's start.

Raynar had been furious with Dordi for her rash actions, which had almost gotten them killed, and had sent them many light years away from their intended destination, which had been very close to making him start a fight with her, but he had managed to calm himself down just in time to avoid a brawl with his temporary ally. Even though he was still angered at her, Raynar had began to notice many discrepancies in the entire scenario, especially as it seemed that none of what had happened to them should have ever been possible. It was downright impossible for a lightsaber strike to jumpstart a hyperdrive, and anyone who had ever come to that conclusion would have been driven to an insane asylum on Daminia. The explanation that the Dimok and Ripoblus had given them had been a temporary measure, as they had no idea how such a thing could have occurred and didn't want to be burdened with the Jedi for too long. Even with the interference of the mynocks—which, surprisingly enough, had not died due to the large amount of helium in the ship—Raynar knew that they could do anything that would cause such a jump, and that there was no plausible reason for them to have been forced to enter hyperspace due to the presence of mynocks. For a while he had suspected that there was a mole within Tenel Ka's inner circle, but he knew that the Queen Mother had carefully selected each of them in order to protect herself, so that left him without a true idea as to how they could have been forced into this situation. It was times like this that he was reminded of the great Borneck Jedi philosopher Locksher Meshol's famous saying, "Once you eliminate the impossible, whatever remains, no matter how improbable, must be the truth."

_So what does that leave me with? _Raynar asked himself. _What could have done this to us in such a way? Who or what could even produce such effects on us at such a scale?_

It was during moments such as this that Raynar missed the connection he had felt during his time as UnuThul of the Killiks. Normally simple-minded creatures, the Killiks had very little in the way of improving their own society, but thanks to the process of Joining, diverse members of other species could enter their group and bring in their knowledge to further the future of the Colony. As UnuThul, Raynar had an almost limitless supply of information from the many who had become Joiners, allowing him to use that knowledge to create the dartships that had plagued the Chiss that they had fought against. However, such a large amount of information had had its drawbacks as well, since Raynar had been privy to every thought held by the Joiners, from the lust held by a Kluuzot for his Taurill companion, or the Orgon that feared being sent before the Galidyn brethren for the accidental killing of one of their own, or the Shard Jedi that had fled the Order due to having a disagreement with his Sunesi Master Aqinos about using the dark side of the Force to fight off the Yuuzhan Vong during the darkest days of the War.

_The dark side…_ Raynar thought, handing over the credits needed to buy the hyperdrive they needed from the Bitthævrian salesman. _Perhaps that was what caused this incident. _

During his time as UnuThul, Raynar had been horrified to learn that the Jedi had started using historically-stereotypical dark side powers during their fight against evil. The training had come about due to the presence of Vergere's teachings—who saw the Force as neither dark nor light, but as an all-encompassing figure that could be used correctly by truly-trained Jedi Knights of the Jedi Order—and it being one of many powers used to great effect by Jacen Solo during his fight against Onimi, leading to him temporarily becoming one with the Force. Raynar had never viewed the change in philosophy as valid, even though many Jedi had found it to be very useful in situations that called for such powers to be utilized. However, due to many problems in having to teach its application to younger Jedi, Luke Skywalker had effectively put an end to practicing such unique techniques, fearing that some naïve Jedi Knights would fall to the dark side and had allowed only senior members of the Order, such as Kyle Katarn, to continue using them, as they had more than enough experience with falling to their own darkness. The loss of Jacen Solo to the person that had become Darth Caedus had emboldened Raynar's own feelings on the matter.

_It would be the only thing that makes sense to me, _Raynar thought, frowning as he lifted the hyperdrive components with the Force, causing a small Gesaril to scurry away in surprise. _I can only imagine that someone from a large distance is the source of this. But why and for what possible purpose could this serve? Perhaps they are allied against my mysterious Force-sensitive backer? Maybe if I could contact him again I could gain some more insight on this issue._

"Raynar Thul, you are too careless," Dordi said, breaking Raynar from his thoughts, as he realized he had almost caused the hyperdrive system to crush a Krish that had been talking to his Filar Nitzan companion.

Grunting as he readjusted the path of the system and apologized to the Krish, Raynar kept on his way back to the Star Traveler, ignoring Dordi completely. Despite having been with her for several days, Raynar had yet to have a true conversation with her, and every time that they did talk, it always ended up in an argument over forcing him to come back to the Temple with her, even though she had agreed to accompany him on his mission.

"Thisz one is contacting the Gazar mechanic," Dordi said. "Be careful with the system."

"I will," Raynar said, wishing she would leave him alone for a moment so that he could continue thinking on their next course of action.

The two walked in silence for two minutes, eventually reaching their ship and leaving each other so that Raynar could set the hyperdrive system down for the mechanic to place inside of their ship properly. Feeling that he was no longer needed there, Raynar went to his quarters and placed himself in a meditative trance, hoping to find some way to figure out what was wrong with their predicament, and wishing to be contacted by his mysterious benefactor again.

Calming himself within the Force, Raynar allowed his mind to flow free, as he felt the first signs that he was losing his place in the corporal realm and being sent into the vast recesses of the Force. Opening his eyes, Raynar found himself on Yoggoy, as he witnessed a ship fall on the planet's surface as the native Yoggoy Killiks watched in awe. Moving to the crash site, he saw the ship, the _Tachyon Flier_, in flames and went inside, knowing what he would witness: His own bruised and battered form, barely kept alive by his abilities in the Force. Seeing the cause of his injuries again made Raynar tense, but he maintained his focus, but not before he saw Lomi Plo and Welk laughing at him in the darkness of the ship, which sent chills down his spine.

The vision shifted, this time to Jante, where he saw himself fighting alongside the native Jante during the Yuuzhan Vong War against a group of Peace Brigade slavers. It was one of the last times he had been allowed a chance to fight by himself, as the next time he had been sent on a mission had been to Myrkr, where he had almost lost himself fully due to what had happened next. Many times before he had longed to be given the chance to relive his life from this point, using his knowledge of the future to save Eryl Besa from the razor bugs that had killed her, and perhaps continue the relationship they had just started to form before landing on Myrkr. It had been so long since a woman had shown any interest in him, especially since his own face still held the massive signs of disfigurement he had gained in the act of becoming UnuThul. If from that point he could succeed, then he would do whatever was in his power to stop Anakin Solo from dying, even though Master Skywalker had told the Order that Anakin viewed his own death as an important starting point for the Jedi to achieve victory over the Yuuzhan Vong. But Raynar knew that he could never go back there and change himself, because not even flow-walking gave its user the chance to actively change too much of history.

_You are indeed correct, Raynar Thul, _the serpentine voice of his benefactor said, just as the world changed back to the being's own world. _Nothing can be changed in such a way, for to do so would be a blasphemy to the fate of the Galaxy. _

Turning to his ally, Raynar said, "You set this up to let me think of these ideas again, so this must mean you can see deep within my heart to know of my desires."

_I mean no disrespect to your privacy, my friend, but I felt it necessary to have you look at these small moments from your past to see how far you have come since then. _

"Now that we are past this, I have a question: Who is trying to stop us?"

_Good, you have noticed this disturbance in the Force and its intent. The creator of these attacks started against you is—_

Raynar noticed the massive being flinch, and watched it fade away as a murky world came to replace the environment he'd been in moments before. He was on Zolan, homeworld of the Clawdite and Zolander species, the former the genetic offshoot of the latter, and both bearing a fierce hatred of the other. A battle was being fought at the present moment, with both sides led by members of the other race. Raynar watched the carnage with shock, as Zolan had been one of many peaceful worlds in the Galactic Alliance, even with its past history.

"Such a beautiful scene, is it not?" a male human's voice asked from Raynar's side. "And there isn't anything that the Galactic Alliance can do about it."

Raynar turned to face the man next to him and found himself staring at a tall man garbed in a large cloak. "Who are you?" he asked. "What have you done to my vision?"

"Merely taken you away from that menace for the moment to show you what you are up against, boy. I had to make sure that you got away from him, hence my reasoning for sabotaging your hyperdrive with my powers. You have no idea what you're doing or why, do you?"

"I know that I am meant to save the Galaxy from darkness, and that is all I need to know in order to fight against those that would harm its safety. If you are the one who disabled our hyperdrive, then you must be stopped, even though I don't know how you did this."

"Through the powers I have gained from the Kashi Mer talisman, Raynar. It enables me to influence events all over the Galaxy should I will them so."

"Then this is just one of many instances where you have compromised the safety of the Galaxy, so then I must stop you to save it once more."

"A foolish idea to have; this Galaxy cannot be saved by you anymore than a male Nhoras would associate with a female Clatear. I shall show you if you do not believe me."

Before Raynar could react the vision changed to show Xerton 9, a planet in Wild Space that held no significance to any organization in the Galaxy. Two ships were locked in battle with each other, one of Clatear design and the other of Nhoras.

"I brought both groups here under the basis that each group had stolen an item of great importance to the other, while stealing them myself and placing them on Cilpar for the time being," the man said. "The winner will report the theft to their homeworld, thus inciting another brushfire conflict that the Alliance won't be able to stop in time before blood is shed, thus giving me further chances to enact my grand designs on the Galaxy. And this is just the beginning."

"But why would you do this?" Raynar asked, horrified. "Those are innocent beings that you're nonchalantly killing! They don't deserve this to happen to them!"

"Then you know nothing, Raynar Thul of the Jedi. I, Durrei, will bring this Galaxy true peace, so that no child will ever have to go through the pains of war ever again. Join me, and I shall bring about a new age where you will be treated as an equal by the chosen few I select to belong in this kingdom of mine!"

"You're a monster!" Raynar shouted out, igniting his lightsaber. "And for your crimes you must be eliminated immediately!"

Durrei smirked as Raynar came to attack him, missing him as the lightsaber faded into Durrei's incorporeal form and did no damage to him at all. "We are not real here, Raynar and therefore neither of us can die," he said. "If you will not join me, then you are against me. You will soon wish that you had never agreed to join my enemies."

Raynar watched as Durrei vanished, alongside his vision, as he realized that he was now cut off from his benefactor's presence, thanks in part to some manner of Durrei's interference. Balling his hands into fists, Raynar struck the side of his room's wall, just as he heard a knock on his door from a tail repeatedly hitting it. Realizing that it was Dordi, he walked over to the door and opened it, finding her looking remarkably caring.

"You have been away for hourz," she said, surprising Raynar with the statement. "Thisz one has already brought us to hyperspace, en route to Ylesia. What have you been doing?"

"I had another vision," Raynar said, still wondering how so much time could have past in what felt like moments. "Except this time it was interrupted."

"By whom? Who darez to interrupt the vizionz of the Jedi?"

"He called himself Durrei. I have never heard of him before now, but from what I can recall he seemed to be extremely powerful, but not all of that power was his own. It seems that he was being augmented by something called the Kashi Mer talisman, which must be a weapon of vast powers, to have allowed him the chance to disable our hyperdrive."

"Why did he come to you? What doesz he want?"

"He wanted me to stop us from continuing on our quest, saying that we were his enemies if we kept going. I told him no, and now he considers us his enemies."

"Good, thisz one haz been looking forward to a good fight," Dordi said, sissing. "You and thisz one will join forces to destroy him before he can hurt anyone else."

Raynar smiled. "Then it looks like I have your approval to fight him the moment he dares to interfere with our mission. That is good. Why the sudden change of heart?"

Dordi eyed him for a moment and her tongue flickered. "Thisz one haz been giving our alliance some thought, and haz come to the conclusion that you are to be trusted, dezpite your own past with the Killikz. It waz not you who controlled them the way that the Dark Jedi did, and you deserve to be treated better than I have done. Thisz one wishesz to apologize."

"The apology is accepted and I wish to convey my own for treating you just as harshly these past few days. It wasn't your fault the hyperdrive activated when you hit it with your lightsaber. There was no logical reason for that to be the case, yet I blamed you anyways, and for that I humbly wish to ask for your forgiveness."

"It iz given. Let us leave for Ylesia, Raynar Thul."

"Gladly, Dordi," Raynar said as he went with her to the bridge.

A/N: Chapter 20 will return to the Zomil and Tiu Zax fight, while the others can only watch helplessly, even with the intervention of Ken and Tash. It should be started on relatively soon and sent here asap. Until next time...


	21. Chapter 20

A/N: Had a little problem with my computers, so that's why this took so long. As some of you have pointed out in the e-mails, it seems that Raynar had what appeared to be an OOC moment in the last chapter. After learning that Durrei had caused several wars all over the Galaxy and didn't warn his superiors. Well, let me assure you that he did alert them, but I wasn't going to mention this until a later chapter. I didn't want anyone to get the wrong impression that he wasn't acting heroically, so that's why there's this message.

Please let me know if there is anything I need to change. Thanks in advance and please enjoy.

Chapter 20

**Herios sector, K749 system, Pzob**

**1**

Zomil fired his blasters at Tiu Zax, who dodged them and leapt into the air and sent a wave of Force energy toward the Defel, who recognized the attack instantly and dove to his left side, avoiding it completely. Snarling, Zomil shot at her again when he got back up, but all of the blasts were deflected by Tiu's lightsaber, which she had not used in the fight until that moment.

A rage filled Zomil's mind, and he slowly found himself tapping into base desires that he had long suppressed during his time away from Reuss VIII. The fury would not be sated by mere battle, but by finding a way to reach to his opponent and slash out her vocal cords, this robbing her of the chance to scream when he bit her neck and drained her of blood so that he could—

—_NO! _Zomil reprimanded himself. _Must not give in to this. Is bad to lose control again. Must find way to move past faults and then save at least Tiu Zax. Is good, no?_

Instead of attacking him with her lightsaber during the momentary reprieve, Tiu brought out her weapons and shot at him, forcing him to blast the first one away with precise blaster fire and allowing the second shot to graze the fur on his right shoulder, the site of a past injury that he had sustained during a brief misunderstanding with an Ergesh. Howling in pain as he felt the impact of the blaster bolt, Zomil closed his eyes, as he heard the crowd cheer at his injury and gained a new hatred for members of the Tasari species when one cursed at Zomil for causing him to lose credits on who would strike first blood in the duel, as his Nalroni companion laughed.

Falling to the ground, Zomil could hear the crowd begin to chant the phrase, "Finish him off! Finish him off! Finish him off! Finish him off!"

He looked up at Tiu, who was standing away from him, pretending to be wary of his fall, as a means to give him some time to get back up again to buy them some more time. Zomil then turned his eyes to find Malinza Thanas looking at him with terror in her eyes. He could tell that she was there to save him, but that she had fallen victim to Gumbrak's machinations, just like he had when Tiu and he had been so easily bested by members of the Exchange.

_Pain is too much, _he thought. _Is losing mind. I am losing my mind. Too late now. _

Struggling against his instincts, honed from years of dueling, Zomil roared into the air as he ripped off his upper garments, revealing his black-gray fur, tattered from his lack of being able to maintain its natural luster due to recent events. Tiu noticed his sudden change in attitude and ceased moving, as she studied his eyes, which glimmered in the night with a crimson malice.

"Zomil cannot stop himself, Tiu Zax!" Zomil cried out. "Kill me and go free!"

"I would never do that!" Tiu screamed at him. "A Jedi fights to preserve life, not to kill it! We'll think of a way to get out of this together, Zomil, just hang on!"

"Is too late for Zomil. I am sorry."

Rushing at her with his claws prepared to slash her, Zomil leaped as he gave out a large shriek, a customary Defel move to make during battle, one that he had not used in years, not since he had killed a young Riileb along with her Rishii, Vernol, and Srrors'tok companions on one of the many illegal dueling rings he had fought in on Ukatis. Tiu reacted by faltering to her right and then pushing Zomil away with the Force into one of the nearby rocks. Shocked at her actions, she went to investigate the body, but she found out almost too late that Zomil had been largely unaffected by the attack, barely getting past him once again to prevent her fragile neck from becoming exposed at the hands of the crazed Defel, who was beginning to foam at the mouth from some sort of mental degradation that had occurred the moment that he had lost control of his mind. Zomil snarled at her and began to move toward her once more, so she leapt away from him in order to obtain the chance to get some sense into him.

"Zomil!" Tiu shouted out as she took out her lightsaber and ignited it. "You must regain control of your mind or all is lost! You are not a killer! You are a force of good in this Galaxy! Please don't make me kill you! I don't want to harm you!"

The crowd booed Tiu for her declaration, and she found herself the target of more thrown food, this time from an Ubese crime lord and his Ukian bodyguards. Angered at the repeated use of tossed food, Tiu picked up a collection of stones with the Force and hurled them toward her assailants, who scattered in different directions, leading to a Multopo bodybuilder to send a small Carosite flying into the stadium itself, where he yelped and scampered away to avoid being apart of the fight, just as Tiu felt a pain in her neck when her choke-collar restricted her windpipe.

"Naughty, naughty," Gumbrak Hoxz's voice said from the Battle Yard's speakers. "Now I would think that a Jedi Knight would know better than to cause civilians to be hurt. Just for that you two can feel the pain that will result in your deaths if one of you doesn't kill the other."

Cursing herself for letting her emotions get the better of her, Tiu watched as Zomil fell to the ground with her, in as much pain as she was from his collar's grip. However, she noticed that his was being released sooner than hers was and panicked.

Seeing his prey on the ground, Zomil lunged at her, slashing her left leg, and causing the Omwati to cry out in furious agony. Seeking to attack her once more, Zomil brought his claws in for her windpipe, but Tiu rolled on the ground and managed to use her good leg to leap away from him and situate herself on a rock formation.

_I have to stop this somehow, _she thought, watching as Zomil circled around the formation and waited for her to come back down to where he could reach her. _But how?_

**2**

_I'd rather fight the Ssi-ruuk and P'w'eck again than watch this,_ Malinza Thanas thought as she dared to keep watching the duel between Zomil and Tiu Zax. _Hell, I'd rather go hand-to-hand against a Vaathkree Teräs Käsi master with a Lafrarian swordsman than watch this. _

Malinza turned her gaze over to Gumbrak Hoxz, who was watching the fight with his face full of enjoyment, at least as much as could be shown by a Mon Calamari. The former Jedi turned crime lord was not afraid of them, even though they outmatched him three times over, all because he had the advantage in this fight. No matter what they did, all Gumbrak had to do was threaten to activate the choke-collars and both Zomil and Tiu would die.

_What can we do? _Malinza asked herself. _What hope do we have of getting them out of this place alive? Gah, I hate having to go through these things! Zomil's gone feral! I've never seen him act this way ever before! What could have triggered this response? How would it happen?_

"Isn't it magnificent?" Gumbrak asked, causing Kunra and Danni Quee to turn to face him as well. "Such brutality, such a show of true force, not this aberration some of us wield."

"What do you mean?" Malinza asked. "Some of us? Who else here besides Danni can?"

"He can," Danni said, eyeing him closely. "He's had some prior training, and was able to mask some of it from me, but I found him out. Who are you working for? The Sith?"

Gumbrak laughed and threw his head back. "The Sith? No, I would never associate with those unkempt slugs. They're the whole reason why I was forced into this life in the first place! I hate them as much as you do. However, that would be the last point where we could ever agree on anything. You see, I hate the power I wield almost as much as I hate those who use it."

"That's preposterous," Danni said. "And hypocritical. You use it yet hate it?"

"Preposterous?" Gumbrak repeated. "You are the second Jedi to tell me that in recent days. The first was Shul Vaal; I'm sure that you've heard of him."

"Indeed we have," Malinza said, "and we want him back. Where on Ylesia did you put him? The Mountains of Faith? Peace City? Colony Two?"

"You ask this as if you expect to live out the next few minutes. I wonder, is this human arrogance, or just the foolishness of a deranged mind? I've seen Akwin with better mindsets."

"Foolishness or not, I want answers, Gumbrak. Now, or you'll see why the Eklaad banned me from ever setting foot on their world ever again when I rip out your throat."

"Of course you do," Gumbrak said, returning to watch the fight and ignoring her threat. "Shul Vaal has been placed in a working zone near Peace City where he is no doubt mindless now thanks to the wonders of Exultation. Perhaps you will be meeting him soon, although I have to say that you and Danni would make excellent additions to the dancers for and old associate of mine named Hirth. He's a nice Aramandi employer, good upbringing as well, with a rather large disproportionate love for females of other races in his harems. Does that sound tantalizing?"

"You will take back what you have said," Kunra said, amphistaff near Gumbrak's face.

Danni reached her hand over to Kunra's shoulders and said, "It's okay, Kunra. I don't care what he said about me or Malinza. You don't have to worry about my honor, although it's sweet of you to want to do so for me. Besides, we have Zomil and Tiu to worry about if you end up killing him. I'd rather be taunted for moments than grieve over lost allies for my entire life."

Grunting, Kunra returned his amphistaff to his side and stood in silence.

"Good, perhaps now we can continue this in silence for the—" Gumbrak started, but he paused when he heard the sound of an approaching vehicle. "What now?"

Looking out to where he was staring at, Malinza found herself facing an airspeeder, with Ken and Tash at the helm. Jumping down from the airspeeder, the two somersaulted over to the others, while a command code sent the airspeeder careening into the stands of the Battle Yard, causing the audience to leave for the last time. The Gamorrean guards attempted to keep the peace, but a large group of crowd members led by a small Mrlssi bounty hunter and her Shatra, Kalduu—held in the air by a transportation tube—and Sljee companions, who shot at and killed the Gamorreans in their way, allowing the crowd to flee from the Battle Yard permanently.

Malinza watched as Ken and Tash dropped near Gumbrak and held their lightsabers at his neck, with the Mon Calamari showing no signs of any fear or being intimidated.

"This party's over," Ken said.

**3**

Zomil felt the rage reaching its zenith in his mind and continued to fight against his foe. In the back of his thoughts, Zomil attempted to regain control of his body, but his old self pushed his feeble efforts away. Tiu was his prey and he was the hunter.

_No, _he thought. _Must be free again. Help is needed. Is sorry, Tiu, for own weakness._

Tiu placed her lightsaber back on her utility belt and fired at him with her blasters, still missing him as she had intended from the start.

"Zomil," she called out. "Help me to help you! Fight back! I need you to fight this!"

He snarled at her and bared his claws, lunging at her once more and missing yet again. Tiu moved to another boulder, but this was one smaller than the last and it allowed Zomil the chance to reach her, and he grasped some of her feathery-threads, and ripped them out, which made her cry out in pain, but she managed to jump away in time before he could attack her once more. Trembling as she felt the wound bleed, barely missing her eyes as it flowed down.

She watched as Zomil stood on the ground staring at her, while a Bosph crowd member yelled at them to hurry it up and finish each other off. Tiu felt Malinza's presence nearby and noticed that she was with a woman she recognized as Danni Quee and a void in the Force that she figured had to belong to a Yuuzhan Vong. She surmised that they had arrived to help them, but had discovered that Zomil and she were forced to fight thanks to the choke-collars.

As she pondered this, Tiu watched as Zomil stood in silence, swaying back and forth every now and then, as if he were fighting himself and forcing his body to stay in place.

Just as she realized this, Tiu felt the presence of other Jedi in the vicinity. Extending her presence in the Force, Tiu recognized the mind of Ken Elegin, but not the other Jedi with him. Looking up into their direction, she saw an airspeeder headed right to them, and watched as it crashed into the stadium, while Ken and his companion jumped to where Gumbrak was.

Confused, she looked back down at the ground, finding that Zomil had managed to get next to her without her knowing about it. He stared at her, the malice gone from his eyes.

"Is sorry, Tiu Zax," Zomil said, "but Zomil must do this. Rules clear: Other must kill, and not self-kill. Forgive me, because I cannot control myself any longer."

Grabbing Tiu's hands, Zomil placed her index finger next to the trigger of her blaster and fired, falling to the ground instantly, dead.

**4**

"I see that you have me under your control now," Gumbrak said.

"Release them now," Ken said, a stern tone added to his voice.

"I think not, Jedi. They are perfectly fine where they are now."

"Ken!" Danni shouted. "Don't do anything yet! He's got choke-collars on them!"

"What?" Tash asked, still holding her lightsaber to Gumbrak's throat.

"Choke-collars?" Ken repeated. "You monster."

"No, you and all like you are the monsters," Gumbrak said. "The Force is an aberration that is calling out to be killed by those who wield it. But for now, let's watch the fight."

Deactivating their lightsaber, Ken and Tash reluctantly turned to the fight, just as they witnessed Zomil using Tiu's fingers to shoot himself, deactivating the choke-collar on Tiu's neck and making it fall off of her.

"Zomil!" Malinza cried out, rushing to the side of the observation post and screaming out his name again.

Ken watched as Tiu witnessed Zomil crumpling to the ground, lifeless, and then yelled out her sorrows at being the one to end his life. Realizing that a criminal was still near him, Ken reactivated his lightsaber, but was surprised to see that Gumbrak was no longer near them and had Force jumped onto a nearby platform, holding out Shul Vaal's lightsaber.

"You have ruined everything!" he bellowed. "My men are dead and you have destroyed everything that I have worked so hard to achieve! Now die, Jedi!"

Leaping at Ken, Gumbrak held the lightsaber in a wild stance, a telltale sign that he had not used one in years, allowing Ken the opportunity to stab him near the Mon Calamari's heart. Staring at one another, Gumbrak dropped his blade, which shut off and was taken by Danni, who watched from afar as Ken deactivated his lightsaber and brought the Mon Calamari to his feet.

"What have I become?" Gumbrak asked. "I had so much promise, yet I fell."

"All of us have our shortcomings," Ken said, still holding him upright.

"I was a Jedi, one of many trainees. I had promise. I barely survived on Essowyn, where I had helped the Saurton resist Palpatine's might. But Vader came, and scarred me. I was broken. That was when I fell. I escaped his wrath and remade myself into this twisted form."

"You can remake yourself again, Gumbrak. The wound isn't fatal unless you give up on yourself. You can live and fight with the Jedi once more. Join us and live."

Gumbrak shook his head. "I don't deserve it. Beware of the man called Durrei. He will lead the Galaxy to ruin, just like I wanted. Stop him, and give me my overdue rest."

Ken attempted to begin a rebuttal, but he felt Gumbrak's presence in the Force diminish, and watched as the Mon Calamari's body slowly fell down to the ground, dead.

Grimacing, Ken looked up and placed Gumbrak's corpse to the side, as he stood up and said, "Tash and Danni, go retrieve Zomil's body and see if you can help Tiu. Kunra, I need you to take Gumbrak's corpse to the side for now. Malinza…" Ken stared at Malinza, who was still looking at Zomil's body, with tears now flowing down her eyes. "I'm sorry this had to happen."

Danni and Tash jumped down to the Battle Yard, checking Zomil's body as Tiu looked at it in horror, while Kunra placed Gumbrak's corpse away from them.

"I met him on Corwin, only it was Bridin Anchorage then," Malinza said, still looking at the body. "He helped me then. I was by myself and he saved my life there. We were inseparable after that, working together to make this Galaxy a better place. We were going to save Shul and then track down a man named Durrei. Why did this have to happen?"

"I don't know, Malinza, but I can tell you this: We're after the same man," Ken said.

Malinza turned to face him. "Durrei?"

"Yes. He's a Dark Jedi that plans to recreate the Galaxy in his image. He's the reason that all of this has happened to us. As you know, I was led here by a vision to bring anyone that I met to follow me and stop him."

Malinza watched as Danni and Tash returned with Zomil's body and a wary Tiu. "And you think that we are the people you need to do this?" she asked.

"Now more than ever, Malinza."

"Then I'm in. No one arranges my co-pilot's death and gets away with it."

"But where do we go now?" Kunra asked.

"Ylesia," Tiu said. "That's where Shul is. I go nowhere without him by my side again."

"Then Ylesia it is," Ken said, as he walked away and led them back to their ships.

A/N: Chapter 21 will return to Ylesia, with Palazidar plotting with Durrei, while Shul, Garindan, and Maber work to save the people Maber left behind. It should be written fairly soon. Until next time...


	22. Chapter 21

A/N: First off, I am really sorry about the lateness of this chapter. I have been swamped with moving into college, renewed work (both school and my job), and various other factors, so therefore I haven't had any time to do any writing. Now this chapter is _immensely _shorter than it was planned to be, but I figured it would be better to have something rather than nothing, so here it is. Any further chapters will be hard to come by, I'm afraid, but I promise that they will get done eventually. Thanks to everyone who still sends me e-mails and reviews.

Please let me know if there is anything I need to change. Thanks in advance and please enjoy.

Chapter 21

**Hutt Space, Tsyk system, Tsyk**

**1**

As the native Tsyklen bowed before him as he passed by—attended by his Kentra (of the Jungle folk), Svivreni, and Lasat slaves—Palazidar begrudgingly accepted their praise and then walked over to his ship and entered it, ready to leave the dismal world of Tsyk behind him. Due to its usage of massive pollution, Tsyk shared some similarities with Nal Hutta, but unlike the homeworld of the Hutts, Tsyk had not learned how to properly regulate its environment, leading its people to slowly starve to death if not for the aid sent there by the Hutts and t'landa Til, which Palazidar was a part of thanks to his role in the modern Hutt and t'landa Til society.

"Such filthy creatures," Palazidar said. "I despise them all. I would let them all die now."

Next to him, Palazidar's Kriek aide remained silent, knowing that Palazidar did not want conversation, but instead wished to let his xenophobic views be made public to his subordinates.

"No one is to disturb me," Palazidar said, almost crushing an Entymal underneath him.

Grumbling at what he was forced to do, Palazidar shuffled into the chambers where he would reside for the short journey over to Ylesia, where he would have a chance to issue several new slaves into the Exultation. No more would his fellows talk of how he had failed to usher in the new residents of the spice fields by falling asleep during the Exultation. Now they would all look at him and see what he had done, and then, very soon, they would all bow down to him on the day that he was given control over the southern portion of the Galaxy. Once Durrei managed to gain access to the object that would change everything, then Palazidar would be given rewards that he spent days imagining about, as he saw countless members of the Galactic Federation of Free Alliances throw down their arms and do as he said, when he could travel from Lwhekk to Smarteel without worrying about his past, and as everything bended to his own unique will.

"Master Palazidar, there is a message for you," a shrill Bovorian voice said from outside his chamber doors. "Please come soon; it is so urgent I hear. Please answer me now, master."

"You idiot!" Palazidar roared as he turned around and beat down the door. "I told you not to disturb me while I was in here! I don't care how important this message of yours is!"

Cowering beneath him, the Bovorian held up its mandibles in front of herself, as one of his Farghul attendants jumped behind the gimer bush of Genesia. "I'm sorry, master," she said.

"I will kill you as you lay there, imbecile! What was so important as to disturb me?"

"That would be me, Palazidar," the voice of Durrei said from the hologram that was held in the Bovorian's hands. "I have a great need to speak with you and asked your subordinates to make sure that this message was received immediately. I assume you will find this interruption to be worth your time if you take the time to listen to it in your chambers. Now go there."

Grumbling, Palazidar snatched the hologram projector from the Bovorian and shambled into his quarters, where he waited for his benefactor to speak to him in private.

"Now that you have calmed down, I have an urgent message to convey," Durrei said, his eyes glimmering in the Ruul sunset from in front of him. "You are in danger of dying, my ally."

"What?" Palazidar asked. "How can this be? Who would dare try to kill me now?"

"Who indeed. Who would try to kill you, Palazidar? There are a great many suspects that would be likely. You have made many enemies in the past from your dark exploits, but the foes that you will face soon enough have nothing to do with them, at least for now. They are a group of misfits gathered by a single Jedi Master named Ken Elegin who are plotting to stop us from implementing our plan. They are on approach to Ylesia now to come and kill you."

"How can this be? What do they know of me and my operations? This all confounds me."

"They know enough. They know that you are trying to gain prominence in the Galaxy, as a means to control, and that you are a threat to peace. I will tell you what you need to know."

"I need more than that!" Palazidar shouted. "Give me their names! Their works! Give me your apprentice so that I may kill them on a mere whim! We are not all Force-sensitive, Durrei!"

"Patience, Palazidar," Durrei said. "You will not need Ylairo's help in this matter. I am most confident in your ability to kill them all by yourself, using your unique skills. But to help you to assuage your fears, I will tell you what I know of them. Ken Elegin is their leader, and he is the most dangerous out of all of them. He is just a new Master, but his lack of true and long training is not to be held against him. He has evaded my forces several times now and has been a constant thorn in my side, despite my attempts to rectify that mistake. His companions are also not to be ignored, as he has no less than three other Jedi with him, along with an accomplished bounty hunter, and a Yuuzhan Vong warrior. Beware of them, but they are not your only foes in this matter, I am afraid. I have foreseen enemies from within trying to kill you as well."

"Who? Who would dare attack me in my own realm?"

"I do not know, but you must be on your guard. Kill anyone you suspect of trying to do harm unto you, Palazidar. Until then I must break off contact. Tell me when they are dead and by then we shall enact our grand designs upon the entire Galaxy. Farewell, Palazidar."

"No, wait, I still have questions about—"

But before Palazidar could finish his sentence, Durrei disconnected the link and the room fell into darkness, causing Palazidar to turn on the lights to help him see again.

"So they would seek to kill me?" he asked himself. "Then they shall have another thing coming to them. I will kill them and then earn my place in the future Galaxy!"

**Cha Raaba system, Ylesia, Peace City**

**2**

Shul Vaal opened his eyes as he looked straight up from his bed, tattered from the owner before it, a Gacerite assassin known for his sharp talon-like fingernails.

_I am getting better, _he thought as he turned to his side. _My powers are coming back little by little each day. My illusions are the only thing keeping me from having to work and losing all I have to hold onto. Tiu, are you still out there? Are you searching for me? You are. I miss you._

"Shul, it is me," Maber Yeff's voice said from beside him. "We managed to find some more to join the cause. More are joining each day. The swamp shark's enzymes are working far faster than we ever could have expected. How are you feeling?"

"As well as could be expected. Where is Garindan?"

"He is tracking down the people I came to save. The guards are getting lax, and there are many opportunities for us to go wherever we want. We have resistance cells everywhere."

"Very well, so the traps have been sprung? The Exultation is losing its affects?"

"Yes, we have rebellions planned to cripple Ylesia within a day."

"Then we can do it in less time, because help is coming. Jedi are coming. My friends are coming to help save us all. There is much work to be done."

"Then let us prepare for them, friend. Can you stand?"

Shul smiled and picked himself up from his bed to land on the ground. "Indeed I can," he said. "Now let us begin this rebellion before it's too late."

A/N: As I said before, the next chapters will be hard to come by, due to my exhausting schedule. I promise to keep on writing, but I guarantee you that it won't be anytime soon. I appreciate all of your patience and responses. The next chapter, when it's written, will return to Ken's group, where they will be planning their assault on Ylesia. Until next time...


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